Songs of the Soul
by Countergod
Summary: It was the perfect ending to a fairy tale. Then it all collapsed. Now three years after Lion and Angel broke apart, both are still mourning the loss of the other. But will they have their fairy tale ending? STORY COMPLETE!
1. Prolog

Disclaimer for entire story: I do not own Final fantasy 8 or any of the old guard characters. Story and new characters are my own creations. Please do not steal them.

This is my first fanfic so I don't know how good it is. I hope I'm not beating on a dead horse by making a story about Squall and Rinoa's separation, but I write what I'm inspired to write. My friends give it good reviews, so I might have something here. Speaking of which.... Many, many thanks to my beta readers. You all know who you are and you deserve kudos for suffering through the various chapters and catching the stupid mistakes I make.

As of the posting of the prolog and chapter 1, I have up to and including chapter 9 written. As my betas go through and knock me on the head, I will post additional chapters. My readers have all commented that this fanfic has a tendency to put you in the dumps, so a warning on that. I was debating whether to put angst in the story type, but if wishes were horses id be a millionaire. And id own FF8 (and all the other ones...)

I guess this story covers drama, romance, angst, some action, though it is sparse. I already have 2 sequels planned for this story. Ill be updating with info on those too as I go along

A special thanks to Ashbear, I have read your works and definitely they are the best on the site. They have provided lots of inspiration.

I guess that's it... with out further ado...

A lone man walked through the halls of Balamb Garden Dormitory. Seeming to wander aimlessly, he stopped in front of a few doors before finally walking purposefully towards one in particular. When he arrived at his destination, he took off his trademark cowboy hat and ran his hand across the top of his head, debating whether or not to knock. Finally, he tapped his knuckles lightly against the door.

He waited about 2 minutes before more forcefully knocking on the door again. He sighed and put his hat back on, ready to leave, when the door opened, revealing a darkened room. The person standing before him looked in even worse shape than he thought. 4 inches shorter than the man in the cowboy hat, he seemed not a powerful warrior, but a broken shell of a man, completely without any will whatsoever left to live.

The shorter man looked at the man in the cowboy hat for a few seconds before sighing. "What do you want Irvine?"

"I wanted to see if you wanna come with Zell and me and head over to the pub for a good night out."

The shorter man stared at Irvine for a moment. "No thank you, ill be fine by myself"

Irvine smiled and grabbed the other person by the shoulder "Come on man, go out and have some fun, we can do a little drinking, have a few laughs, hell, we might meet some girls."

"I can do my drinking here by myself very well thank you."

Irvine's smile fell off his face "Man what is it with you? It's been 2 years now, you can move on! Come on man!"

"...Whatever" the other man turned around "and for your information, its 3 years now, to the day"

Irvine stopped and gawked for a moment. How could he forget that today was March 3rd? "Look man, we just want you to go out a bit, its not good for you to keep everything bottled up like this. Come on. Were going."

Irvine turned the man around and started to shove him towards the door. In his desire to get his friend out the door, he missed the fist flying at his face until it is too late. Irvine fell against the opposite wall and blinked for a moment. It was only then he realized that an open bottle of liquor was sitting on the table, half-empty, and that his friend reeked of alcohol already.

"Irvine, I'm going to say this one more time. I am not going out tonight, certainly not on THIS night. You and Zell can go out if you want. Now get the hell out."

Irvine stared at the other man for a moment then got up and straightened his hat. "Your loss man. Look we are just trying to help you. Can you even see you are destroying yourself? For _Hyne's_ sake, it's been two... no THREE years now. When are you going to start to live your life again?"

The other man said nothing and just sat down at the table, taking a long drink of the beverage in the bottle. Irvine stared at him for a moment and then walked out the door. The lone occupant of the room took another long drink, then got up and walked next to his night-stand. He picked up a picture of him with a woman. Of course he was not smiling in the picture. He never did, and its only now he realized his huge mistake. It was NOW that he had absolutely nothing to smile about. He stared at the woman again, the face that haunts his every waking – and sleeping – moment. The black hair, with brown highlights, the face so pleasant and happy, the lively chocolate colored eyes. So perfect. He could hear her voice laughing and teasing him clearly now.

He put down the picture and emptied the contents of the bottle down his throat. He groaned as the alcohol hit his system and he felt dizzy suddenly. He put his hands on the night-stand to steady himself. Now the woman in the picture looked like she was enjoying his misery. He wanted to pick up the picture and throw it across the room, but he could not bring himself to do it. The world was spinning faster now, and he collapsed on the floor, hitting his head against the night-stand. He just sat there for a moment, thinking back to a time that he was happy, a time with her. It was always her. She always invaded his thoughts. Suddenly, he realized he was crying, as he did the last two times this cursed day came around.

As he sunk onto the floor passing out from all the alcohol in his system, the man uttered a single word in-between sobs and gasps of breath "Rinoa...." With that Squall Leonhart passed into the world of slumber, and if he could remember his sleep that night, he would have been happy, because for the first time since she left, he was completely dreamless.


	2. Chapter 1

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Miss Rinoa Heartilly!"

The crowd seated at the tables started enthusiastically applauding, with some of the people, mostly young males, rising to give the young lady who just walked onto the stage a standing ovation. The black haired woman walked up to the microphone stand and took it off the stand while bowing to the crowd. "Thank you! Thank you very much!" She said into the microphone as the crowd continued to applaud. As the crowd applause began to die down, Rinoa spoke into the microphone again "Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the Galbadia City Hotel, id like to welcome you here tonight."

Rinoa sighed slightly and let her arm fall, bringing the microphone down. She brushed against her sparkling red dress. The crowd had started applauding again, and it was getting worse and worse each time she sang. The hotel lounge, where her mother used to sing and play had been extensively renovated, and now every Friday night was the gathering of some of Galbadia's richest, most famous, and, unfortunately for her, single young men. Older couple also congregated in the lounge too, making Friday nights here one of the most high-class things to do in the city. Reservations alone cost 500 Gil per person, and drinks were five times more expensive than any other night at the lounge. In fact, the president of Galbadia, a one James Caraway, the man who she could never call her father, often frequented the lounge on nights such as these too.

Rinoa's last 10 months working here, as the primary entertainment of the evening certainly was not boring. She enjoyed singing, and she got free lodging at the hotel, along with free meals from the 5 star restaurant, and a nice salary, which meant that she lived a comfortable lifestyle here. Rinoa watched as her pianist accompaniment also walked onto the stage and sat at the piano. Natalie wore a black square cut dress with 1 inch straps that showed off more than a little of her generous cleavage, and ran down to her knees, with a slit up the side of her left leg. She sat down at the piano and Rinoa could tell that her accompanist and the only friend she really had left was enjoying the cheers of the men in the lounge a lot more than she was. Before the applause had died down, Natalie began to play the lead-up to the first song on their list that night. The crowd finally quieted at the start of the music, and Rinoa began singing on her cue.

_I'm so tired of being here,_

_Suppressed by all my childhood fears._

_And if you have to leave,_

_I wish you would just leave,_

'_Cause your presence still lingers here,_

_And it won't leave me alone!_

_These wounds won't seem to heal,_

_This pain is just too real,_

_There's just too much that time cannot erase!_

_When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears,_

_When you screamed, I'd fight away all of your fears,_

_I held your hand through all of these years,_

_But you still have... All of me..._

Rinoa paused for her accompanist to play, and as it always happens when she sings, her thoughts turned back to what she wrote her songs about. The pain that she still felt within her soul, and the guilt that was still nagging her. She pictured Squall in her mind, and wondered, as she does every day, if she did the right thing 3 years ago. It certainly didn't help that this was the third anniversary that she left him, and she had come to hate this day because of it. She dreaded it with all her soul, and it hurt her every second of this anniversary.

_You used to captivate me in my own resonating light,_

_Now I'm bound by the life you left behind._

_Your face that haunts... my once pleasant dreams_

_Your voice has chased away... all the sanity in me!_

_These wounds won't seem to heal,_

_This pain is just too real,_

_There's just too much that time cannot erase!_

_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears,_

_When you screamed, I'd fight away all of your fears,_

_I held your hand through all of these years,_

_But you still have... All of me..._

_I tried so hard to tell myself that your gone,_

_But though you're still with me,_

_I've been alone all along!_

Rinoa paused again for the accompaniment, and again let her mind wander back to those times that brought her so much pain. She thought of that face which still haunted her, the scar running above his nose, the silky hair, the stormy gray eyes which pierced her with its ice cold glare. Everything about him was perfect. As she began singing again, she realized she was crying slightly, which brought more passion to her words.

_When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears,_

_When you screamed, I'd fight away all of your tears,_

_I held your hand through all of these years,_

_But you still have... All of me..._

_All of me..._

_All of me..._

As Natalie finished the song, the entire lounge erupted into thunderous applause. Natalie smiled and waved a bit at the attention, but Rinoa was distracted and cared very little for it all. As the applause died down, Natalie began the next song.

* * *

Rinoa stepped off the stage into the back room, with Natalie close behind. Rinoa felt a hand grab hers, which spun her around. Natalie stared at Rinoa with her hazel brown eyes full of concern. "Rinoa, what was that? You looked like you were ready to break down on that stage. I know you don't want to talk about anything very much, but I need to know if you are going to be having problems on the stage, cause it could affect me too."

Rinoa stared back at Natalie for a moment before turning her head away. "I'm sorry, I was didn't mean anything, its just..." Rinoa paused for a moment "...that I've had a very hard day." She didn't want to voice her concerns to Natalie, because she just wanted to be left alone.

Natalie gazed down at the woman, who was almost 6 inches shorter than she did. "Rinoa, what's wrong? Your voice sounded almost pained out there. Does it have something to do with your battle with Ultimecia?"

Rinoa gaped at Natalie "How.... How did you know?"

"How do I know that you are the Rinoa Caraway that is credited as 1 of the 6 who saved the world? For crying out loud Rinoa, you're a media star! Your picture was all over the news for months. You think I wouldn't recognize that the person I've been working with for the last 11 months isn't her by now?"

Rinoa was on the verge of tears by now. "Please, don't talk about that anymore. I've moved on from that life, I don't want to think about it anymore." Rinoa ripped her arm from Natalie's grasp and ran through the back stage door.

By the time that Rinoa got to the elevator, tears were falling freely from her face. Rinoa stumbled into the elevator, and hit the 11th floor button. As the door closed, she collapsed against the wall, and slowly sunk into a sitting position. She sat there for the entire elevator trip, just sobbing. When it arrived at its destination, and opened its doors, Rinoa sat for a moment just staring out into the hall, before slowly dragging herself up and going to her room. It was then that Rinoa realized that she left her purse and jacket downstairs in the lounge. With a sigh and a softly spoken curse she went back to the elevator and pressed the down button. She stood stoically in the lounge until the lift came. Rinoa walked into the elevator only to bump into someone coming out. As she muttered her apologies, she realized Natalie was standing there with her jacket and purse. "You left these downstairs"

Rinoa blinked away her tears for a moment "Thanks"

Natalie looked at her friend with concern etched on her face "Rinoa, if you need to talk to someone, please don't hesitate to call me, okay?"

Rinoa just nodded and walked back to her room. Natalie stared at the shorter girl walking away for a moment, then sighed and walked back into the elevator to go to her room on the 14th floor. Rinoa opened up her room and walked inside. She let the door close and stared into the mirror on the closet door for a moment, before sighing and removing her dress.

The raven haired woman felt something small and wet touch her thigh. She looked down to see Angelo greeting her master and friend. She sighed and pet the canine, before walking to her closet and rummaging through it. She withdrew what she was looking for. As she turned back around, her eyes fell on the Diary which she faithfully kept since she first got to Garden. _Since she met HIM. _Rinoa opened the book to a random page close to the beginning and saw the picture of their celebration after defeating Ultimecia. Her eyes fell on Squall's unsmiling and annoyed face, and she smiled for a moment remembering all the trouble it was to get him to pose for the picture. Her smile quickly disappeared as other memories of him floated to her head.

Rinoa changed into the nightgown which she had taken from the closet and fell on the bed before she started crying to herself. Angelo leapt onto the bed and nuzzled under her arm. Rinoa pet the dog on the head as she continued to cry. She started whispering "Happy Birthday, Rinoa" to her self over and over between sobs, and her last thought before finally falling asleep was wondering once more if she should have run from Garden two years ... no three years ago on this very day. She then passed into the realm of the unconscious.

Author's note: The song is My Immortal by Evanescence. I do not own it, nor do I own the band, nor do I own the lyrics or anything associated with it. Don't sue please!


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Xu walked purposefully out the elevator of Balamb Garden towards the staff offices on the third floor. As an assistant to Squall, she was obligated to work the hours that he had assigned himself, and if that included 10-3 on a Saturday, then it was her duty to work from 10-3 on a Saturday. She was running late of course, Squall told her she did not have to come in until 10:30 at least on Saturdays, so that she could get more rest. She was kind of surprised when Squall's office door was locked and the lights turned out. _That's strange_, she thought, _Squall is always here by 10 AM on Saturdays_. She looked at the wall calendar, and it still read March 3rd. _That was yesterday, he always changes it when he comes in. I wonder where he could be. _Xu sat down at her desk and dialed Squall's room number. When she got no answer, she tried his cell phone. Xu shrugged and started working again. He is probably in the shower after waking up late.

A half hour later, when Squall still did not show up, Xu dialed both of his numbers again, then decided to page him "Squall Leonhart, please call Xu at extension 4116. Squall Leonhart, please call Xu at extension 4116."

After five more minutes, she decided she had better call Irvine, since he said he was gonna take Squall out the night before. She dialed Irvine's room phone and got an answer on the third ring. "Hello?" a tired and barely audible voice mumbled into the receiver.

"Irvine, this is Xu, do you know where Squall is?"

Silence was the only reply for a moment while Irvine came to his senses "He isn't at work?"

"No, and he isn't answering pages or his telephones. Didn't he go out with you last night?"

"No... he decided to stay in and drink by himse....oh...crap..."

Xu heard the receiver hit the floor "Irvine? Irvine?! IRVINE!!!"

Xu sighed and hung up the telephone.

Irvine raced towards Squall's room still putting on his shirt. He did not have his standard chaps, hat or hairpiece on, and he looked more like a demon from hell than a SeeD, not that it mattered to him. He skid to a halt in front of Squall's door and banged on it loudly. After 5 seconds he pulled out his copy of the master key and open up the door, fearing the worst.

He threw open the door and saw Squall lying on the ground next to his bed. He ran to him and, after feeling a pulse, breathed a sigh of relief. Irvine reached up and switched on the bed lamp. Squall's skin was clammy and pail. Irvine knew immediately what was wrong and picked up the telephone. "Medical emergency in administration quarter number 21! I repeat, medical emergency in administration quarter number 21!"

Irvine hung up telephone and brought Squall up into a sitting position. Squall moaned slightly and opened an eye to look at Irvine. "What are you doing here?"

Irvine responded "Squall just hold still, don't move too much." As he stared around the room. He saw the bottle that Squall had been drinking out of the night before. Lying on the floor next to the table was another bottle, and Irvine was sure that his friend had a case of alcohol poisoning.

"Irvine? Leave me alone will you?"

"No Squall, you are not well. You need a doctor"

Squall mumbled something in reply, which Irvine could not hear. Irvine stared at Squall for a moment until Squall repeated "Did you hear me? Let me be!"

Irvine was confused, but he felt that Squall talking was better than he passing out again was. "What do you mean"

Squall mumbled back "Its too much... too much pain... just let me die....."

Irvine felt his stomach start churning as he realized what Squall was talking about. _Not again. _At that moment, the medics rushed in and Irvine explained the situation to them. They nodded and put Squall on a roll away and rushed him to the infirmary. Irvine sighed and picked up the telephone again, and started to dial Xu's extension, but Xu's voice came over the intercom first "Squall Leonhart, Irvine Kinneas, and Zell Dincht please report to Headmaster Cid's office immediately."

Irvine sighed and left the room heading for headmaster Cid's office. On the way there he met Zell walking out of the dormitory section. He called out to Zell and Zell spun around gaping. "Whoa! What the hell are you?! The devil incarnate?"

"Zell, shut the hell up."

"Whoa, what's eating your shorts today?"

Irvine was quiet for the rest of the way to Cid's office despite several attempts by Zell to start a conversation. When they reached his office, Cid invited them in, and looked at them for a moment, focusing especially on Irvine's non-standard appearance, before asking, "Where's Squall?"

Irvine replied immediately "He is in the infirmary, sir."

This gave Zell a start. "WHAT!? He's in the infirmary? Man, what are we doing here?"

Cid, now frowning, interrupted Zell "hold on a minute, Zell. Irvine what happened?"

Irvine glanced down for a moment considering. "He had alcohol poisoning, sir"

"I see. So he still hasn't gotten his drinking problems under control, has he? Or are you going to tell me this is another relapse?"

Irvine stood up quickly "Sir, with all due respect, yesterday was a very hard day for him, it was the 3 year anniversary of her... departure. He can't help feeling absolutely miserable, and if anybody is going to take the blame for this, it should be me, I should have been paying more attention to him last night."

Cid sighed and picked up a folder "Very well, but I will have to take him off the mission then. Your orders are to..."

Irvine interrupted again, not even bothering to take a seat "Headmaster, Squall needs a mission to distract him from the pain he is feeling inside. Hyne only knows how much he needs it. He has been essentially mission-less for more than 2 and a half years, and you even removed his Training Center privileges to boot! He isn't going to move on if he has nothing to do but think back and feel guilty"

Cid paused for a moment to regard Irvine. It was obvious to him that Irvine cared a great deal for Squall's well-being. He opened the folder and flipped through a few pages before responding "Very well, then. Squall will go on the mission, but you will lead the mission Irvine."

Zell spoke up this time "Sir! That is..."

"That is enough, both of you, one more interruption and I'm assigning an entirely new team. Because of his self-destructive behavior, I have no choice but to relieve him of his duties as Garden Commander. I also don't want him to endanger the mission, your lives, and Garden's reputation because he has lost all self control and will to live. You are leading the mission, Irvine, understood?"

"Yes, sir" they both replied in unison

"Good, now here is the mission briefing." Cid handed out the folders sitting in front of him. "Our client this time is one Arne Darvin, CEO of Defiance Industries, by far Galbadia's largest weapons manufacturer. We have even contracted them to build certain military hardware for us, including our sea skimmers. Needless to say this contract is important to us. You are being hired to defend Mr. Darvin's daughter, Natalie Darvin. You will leave tomorrow at 4 PM for Timber, and have an overnight layover there, before departing at 7 AM on a Train for Galbadia City. He will meet with you at his mansion at noon. Any questions?"

Neither Zell nor Irvine spoke up. "Good, now I believe that the two of you would like to depart from here correct?" Both nodded. "Very well then, dismissed."

Zell and Irvine departed from Cid's office with haste and made their way to the Infirmary. Once they stepped inside, Dr. Kadowaki pulled them aside. "I thought you two were going to monitor and restrict his alcohol intake. Cid isn't very happy at all about the situation."

"We're sorry, Dr Kadowaki. We didn't know that Squall had so much alcohol in his room."

"Hrmf! If you boys don't help him manage his alcohol intake, I'm going to make sure all three of you suffer extra misery during your next physicals. Oh speaking of which, you are due in for them in 3 weeks."

Dr Kadowaki walked to her office and started taking down notes, while Irvine and Zell walked into Squalls room. Squall was awake, but did not respond to their presence, but just stared at the ceiling. It was Zell who first broke the silence "Hey, Squall, how are you feeling?"

Squall continued to ignore them. After a moment Irvine decided he should try to bring Squall out of his stupor. "Squall, we have been assigned a mission."

This got his attention, and he sat up and hung his feet over the side of the bed. "Cid is sending us three on a mission?"

"Yes, Squall. Protection duty, from a rich customer, this will likely have quite a bit of action."

Squall thought for a moment and then opened his pocket and withdrew a package. Marboro Cigarettes was etched on the side. Squall withdrew a cigarette and then offered the pack to Irvine. Irvine raised his hand to reject them. Squall put away the cigarette pack and took out a lighter. He lit his cigarette and puffed a moment, then asked, "Who are we protecting?"

"The daughter of the CEO of Defiance Industries" Irvine offered Squall one of the three folders.

"Squall puffed the cigarette as he perused the contents of the folder. "When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. We're going to layover in...."

"SQUALL! EXTINGUISH THAT CIGARETTE NOW!!!" Dr Kadowaki came stomping into the room with murder written on her face. "This is a medical bay, not a drinking tavern! You will extinguish that cigarette right now or else your next physical will have extra shots!"

Dr Kadowaki knew that Squall hated needles, and knew this would get his response very quickly. Squall stared at the Doctor for a moment, then pressed the lit end of the cigarette onto the skin on the bottom side of his left arm. A hiss was audible as the cigarette was extinguished. Dr Kadowaki's expression turned from anger to disbelief as Squall flicked the remains of the cigarette across the room.

Irvine and Zell stared at each other for a moment, before Dr Kadowaki got a hold of herself. "Squall, if you don't stop this sort of behavior right now, I am going to call Cid and tell him you are medically unfit for duty, and that I'm keeping you in isolation until you improve." Dr Kadowaki walked over to the table and pulled out some alcohol and a cotton swab. As she cleaned off the wound, she continued "I don't know what kind of problem you still have, but if it doesn't end right now, you aren't going on this mission of yours. I mean it boy!"

Squall waved his hand "...Whatever. You know that once assigned a mission, the commander of the mission can refuse any order from the chain of command if he feels it endangers his mission. This has been the case ever since the beginning of SeeD, to prevent people from threatening Garden to try to recall SeeDs working against them."

Irvine and Zell stared at each other for a moment. Then Irvine nodded towards Squall. Zell held up his hands "Nu uh! I'm not doing it. It's your job."

Squall glared at Irvine and Zell "What?"

Irvine sighed "I'm commanding the mission."

Squall barked a single laugh "I'm the SeeD commander, its my prerogative and duty to take command of a mission that I'm assigned."

Irvine and Zell looked at each other again, and Irvine swallowed slightly. Squall's voice got slightly louder and definitely more forceful "What?"

Irvine blew his breath out for a moment trying to calm his twisting stomach. "Cid relieved you of duty as SeeD Commander 15 minutes ago."

Squall's face contorted with rage "WHAT?!"

"He doesn't feel that you are fit for duty as commander anymore. Your drunken rots and hospitalizations have finally pushed him into relieving you of duty. Besides, I thought you hated the job anyway."

"...Whatever. I'm a higher ranked SeeD than you."

"That might be, but Cid gave us an ultimatum. Either I command the mission, or you don't go. He feels your quote 'self destructive behavior' will 'endanger the mission, our lives, and Garden's reputation' and that someone else should command the mission."

Squall stared lighting bolts at Irvine "Fine... Whatever" Squall got up and started to leave the room, but Dr Kadowaki grabbed his arm roughly. "Not so fast! We still need to take care of that burn."

Dr Kadowaki applied a cream to the cigarette burn, then a bandage. "There. If you ever do that again, I'll make sure to find a reason to give you multiple shots."

Squall glared at her for a second then stormed off towards the dormitories. Irvine and Zell stared at each other for a moment and started to leave, before Dr Kadowaki stepped in front of them. "You two, keep an eye on him. He is going through a serious bout of depression, and it could land him dead. If nothing else, it could adversely effect your mission performance."

Irvine spoke up immediately "Doctor, we both care about Squall, and will make sure he doesn't kill or maim himself, if we can at all help it. Now if you will excuse me, I need to shower. Must present my usual charming self ya know."

Irvine flashed the doctor his signature smile and walked out.


	4. Chapter 3

"I don't get it!" Zell exclaimed.

Zell, Squall, and Irvine sat in the SeeD compartment on the train to Timber. They were about two hours into the three and a half-hour journey to the central train hub of the world, and were entertaining themselves with their mission folders. Squall sighed for the fifth time since they stared perusing their mission assignment "What is it this time, Zell?"

Zell picked up a page and started reading it "SeeD is hereby requested to protect the daughter of CEO Arne Darvin from whatever threats to her life which may occur. Your contract will begin on Monday at noon. "

Zell threw the folder down "So why aren't we starting immediately? If his daughter is in danger, it's not like its going to wait until Monday at noon to strike."

Irvine sighed "Zell, we have the information he gave us. I assume that if we start Monday, he has some sort of protection that he can rely on until then. "

"So then why doesn't he use them instead of us?"

"Cause were better?" Irvine smirked and did a dramatic pose to add emphasis to his words.

Squall looked up for the first time the entire trip "Irvine, shut up."

Irvine sighed and leaned back. The rest of the trip was traveled in silence, and it was dark by the time they arrived at Timber. They walked to the hotel and checked in. When they were settled in their room, they finally started to talk again. It was Zell who spoke up first "So what are we gonna do? We have a few hours to kill before we need to go to sleep."

Irvine piped up "I wanted to go see that new show that is being performed here. Oh... what was it? Mmmm... Ah yes, Chicago! It looks like its gonna be great!" Irvine grinned.

Zell rolled his eyes "Of course you'd like something dirty like that."

Irvine turned towards Zell and gave him a look of mock insult "Please! It looks classy!"

Zell snorted "Yea, low class."

Irvine glared at Zell for a moment "So what do you suggest?"

Zell grinned and held up a flyer. Irvine read it for a moment "A _hot-dog_ eating contest?! You've gotta be kidding me!"

Zell sighed and looked at Squall "What do you want to do?"

Squall didn't even look up "...Whatever"

Irvine glanced at Squall "Come on man what do you want to do?"

Squall lay down on the bed, and covered his eyes with his arm "I'm gonna stay here and rest."

Zell and Irvine looked at each other for a moment and sighed. Zell stood up first and walked towards the door. "Well, if Squall wants to be a scrooge, let him. I'm gonna get meself all the hot-dogs I can eat!" With that, Zell walked purposefully out the door and closed it.

Irvine turned to Squall and asked him "Are you sure you don't want to come out? It will be fun"

When Squall's reply did not come after a minute, Irvine sighed again and left, quietly closing the door. Squall lay there for about twenty minutes just clearing his mind, and clearing through the jumble that his thoughts had become. He then considered his grief and why he was being so self-destructive. Everything always came back down to one inescapable conclusion: _I love Rinoa Heartilly. _

This brought back the pain in his heart, and he stood up. Squall walked to the window and stared out into the clouded night, thinking of nothing in particular, only of the ache in his heart that had become his constant companion for three years now. He remembered that final day with her, the last argument, and the plans he had like it was yesterday. Then he was chasing after her, on the road to Balamb City, and the child who wandered into the road. He swerved, loosing control of the car, and hitting a signpost. He recalled the excruciating pain of running two and a half miles with a broken femur bone, of the growing dread in his heart. Finally, he distantly recalled breaking down as he saw the train speed off into the distance, having departed only minutes before he arrived.

Squall punched the wall, and with his Guardian Force enhanced strength, made a small crater in it. He rubbed his now bruised hand, and walked out the door and out the front door of the hotel. He stood for a moment, then opened a pocket in his jacket to withdraw a cigarette pack. After lighting a cigarette, he stood for a moment and puffed on it, before starting off towards one of Timber's many bars.

The night was warm, and a slight breeze carried a cool draft across Squalls neck. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling. It reminded him of that time Rinoa was giving him a massage, her breath playing across his neck and... Squall snapped back into the present. He hated how everything reminded him of her. He finished his cigarette as he came up on the bar. It was an old musty bar in the basement of a five-story building. Pulling out another cigarette, he lit it and walked to the door of the bar. Various odors assaulted Squall's nose even before he opened the door, most of them made the cigarette in between his fingers smell like a rose. He inhaled his cigarette again, and slowly breathed out, letting the smoke pile in front of his face, before walking into the bar.

Squall pushed open the door, and the smell that had assaulted him outside was now almost overpowering. For a moment he considered changing his mind about going inside, but he pushed onwards. He paused briefly in the doorway to take stock of his surroundings. The lighting was poor and cast a dark shadow over the bar. The tables, which Squall could tell had seen better days, were arranged haphazardly about the room. Here and there, bottles were scattered about on the floor, where they had been dropped and no one had bothered to clean them up. His eyes traveled to the bar that ran along the sidewalk. It was filthy and covered in dust and alcohol. The mirror behind the bar was so dirty that one could barely make out any reflection at all, and was cracked in several places. Squall imagined that many a bottle had been thrown against it.

Squall plopped down on one of the barstools, and was about to order a drink when it occurred to him that he was falling. He lay sprawled on his back for a moment, before it hit him that the barstool had collapsed. He picked himself up and gingerly set his bottom on another stool. When it appeared that this one would hold, he ordered a bottle of scotch from the bartender, and began drinking.

* * *

Irvine stretched his arms and opened the door to the hotel room. He was looking forward to sleeping, he had just seen enough skimpy clad women to satisfy even him, and he was exhausted. He pushed open the door and walked in. Zell was sitting on his bed nursing his stomach. He turned to Irvine with a smirk on his face "I can't believe you got Squall to go with you. I thought he'd rather die than see any show that you thought would be great."

Irvine looked confused at Zell "What do you mean? Squall didn't come with me" It was about this time that Irvine realized that Squall wasn't in the room. "Oh...no..."

Zell's face paled "He didn't go with you?"

Irvine grabbed Zell on the shoulders. "Zell how long has Squall been gone?"

Zell grabbed Irvine's hands and pushed them off "Ow, man, watch it. He wasn't here when I came in, maybe a half hour to forty-five minutes"

Irvine cursed and puts his hat back on. "Come on, we need to find him."

* * *

Squall turned his glass up, downing his fourth shot of the drink. He was not sure what the drink was, but it was a local brew and it was strong. He ordered another shot and looked around the bar again. He was the only person sitting at the bar, but a few of the tables were occupied. Two men were taking turns trying to get the upper hand on charming a woman who wanted nothing to do with them, while six people sat around a table playing an old style card game. _What was it called? Poker? I don't remember. _Finally, a man sat alone at a table, nursing a bottle of some form of drink, and from the looks of him, Squall did not want to know how many bottles he had so far.

The bartender arrived with his drink and Squall stared at it a moment. He knew he should not be out drinking, especially when he had to report for his first mission in more than two years, but the pain was still sitting in his heart. It felt like an old friend now, a constant companion that he carried with him wherever he went. He stared at the drink and was completely unaware that someone else had entered the bar and sat down next to him. A cursory glance told him that this complete stranger was no threat to him. Squall ignored the man and turned his glass up again.

"Hey Barkeep! Gimme a shot of Scotch and check this out"

The poker game stopped and the six men crowded around the newcomer as he pulled something out of his pocket. Cheers and whistles came up from the small crowd as they each saw the small object that was being passed around. A glance told Squall that it was a picture of some sort, freshly developed. The bartender came with the shot of Scotch and looked at the picture. "Is that who I think it is?"

The new comer downed his shot and smiled "Yep"

The bartender refilled the shotglass "On the house. You're probably going to get twenty thousand for that."

The man stood up and downed the second shot, then slammed the cup down onto the bar. Squall jumped at the disturbance, but quickly recovered. "twenty? more like 50! Pictures of Caraway's daughter are hotter than a flare spell!" Squall's mind took sudden interest in this. "The President's daughter AND a world wide celebrity, who is hiding away from the media?"

Squall stood up and took the picture. His intuition was right, it was Rinoa. She was wearing nothing but a bikini, and it looked almost like she was posing. "Where did you take this?" Squall knew Rinoa, and knew that this was not what it seemed.

The man took back the picture "Nuh-uh man, your gonna have to find her yourself. I'm gonna be rich!"

Squall grit his teeth and sat back on his stool. He ordered another shot from the bartender and quickly downed it. Squall was quickly forgotten as the crowd gawked at the picture.

"Man, she looks good!"

"Any guy who gets a hold of her would be stupid to let her go."

"I wonder why she hides from the media like she does."

"Easy, daddy doesn't want her 'activities' to get to the public. it would ruin his image."

Squall's head snapped around at this. "What the hell do you mean by that?"

The man who spoke smiled "It's easy. She'll go down on you on the first date!"

Squall was not sure what had happened next. Maybe the alcohol had finally gotten to him, or maybe he just lost his temper. It did not matter. One second the man was laughing, the next, he was lying on the ground with a broken nose, cheek and 4 red marks signifying where his fist landed.

Squall had to give the others credit. Their friend had not even hit the ground yet before they were piling on top of him punching, kicking and choking him. Squall's combat training, ingrained into him since he was 6, kicked in immediately, and he lashed out with his fists and legs in a furious, coordinated attack. Within three seconds, all of his remaining opponents had either backed off or lay on the ground injured. Squall stepped back as those on the ground picked themselves up and formed a circle around him. The man Squall originally punched picked up the broken barstool that Squall had sit on before and held it like a club. _Uh oh...._

The barstool swung at Squall and he ducked it, but a knee smashed into his eye and he saw stars behind his eyes. Next thing he knew his stomach was smashed by the barstool and he was winded and going down. He endured an eternity of kicks and punches, and suddenly it stopped, though the shouting had not. He looked up with his one good eye.

Zell and Irvine were suddenly there, hopping right into the fight. Zell jumpkicked, taking two down. Irvine grabbed one by the shirt and decked him. Squall stood up shakily and punched another in the gut, feeling satisfaction as he felt ribs snap.

Squall heard a thunk behind him, and turned. Irvine was clutching his forehead, blood trickling down past his eyes and nose from what he assumed to be a cut, while staggering back from the photographer, holding the bottle that the bartender was pouring from. Squall was rather amazed that the bottle did not break on impact with Irvine' head. _His skull is thick enough_. Squall smirked slightly at this thought, and charged the man from behind.

The photographer never saw him coming. Squall leaped and tackled him from behind, grappling him at the knees, buckling them.. When Squall hit, Irvine used the distraction to charge and tackle him at the chest. The photographer, already falling forward, had his momentum suddenly shifted the opposite way, and was slammed down thanks to Irvine's Guardian enhanced strengths. He landed head first on the ground and was immediately unconscious.

Squall was still picking himself up off the ground when Zell grabbed his arm and started dragging him towards the exit, with Irvine close behind. As Squall left, he noticed the picture of Rinoa, soaked by alcohol and ruined. A small - but visible - smirk slowly spread across his face.


	5. Chapter 4

The three SeeDs traveled in complete silence the next morning. Squall had developed a black eye and was nursing it with an ice pack, while Irvine rubbed the bandage covering the four stitches on his forehead. Zell even had a few bruises covering his body, but nothing nearly as severe as the other two. They stared at each other, not saying anything as the scenery passed by the SeeD cabin window.

The entire trip had been spent in silence and glances shooting between the three people in the cabin. Squall was sitting on the top bunk, looking with his one good eye, while Zell sat on the couch, with his arms spread out on the back. Irvine had spent most of the trip pacing around, but right now stood leaning against the wall to the left of the door.

The conductor's chime sounded "Now arriving at Galbadia City, this is the last stop on this train, all passengers should collect their gear and stand by to depart the train. I repeat, now arriving at Galbadia City."

The three of them stood up and collected their bags and left the SeeD cabin. The train pulled into the station and they stepped off the train. Squall heaved his duffel bag over his shoulder and picked up his gunblade case, then walked onto the escalator. He got to the top of the escalator and saw the city sprawled out in-front of him. His mind flashed back to the last time he came here... with Rinoa. The last time he was here, his feelings for her had just started to develop, and now, almost 4 years after his first mission as a SeeD, he cant get her out of his mind.

He stood there, reminiscing about his last visit to the city, and the subsequent events, completely lost in his own thoughts. He was so lost that he did not notice Irvine come up behind him, until he spoke "Something wrong?"

Squall blinked and his thoughts returned to the present. "Nothing"

Irvine sighed "You know, you COULD talk to me about it, it might make you feel better. What have you got to loose?"

Squall glared at him for a moment before sighing with resignation "I was just wondering whether or not Rinoa is here somewhere. I know you scoured the city 3 years ago, but...."

Irvine cut him off "Squall, you can't keep blaming yourself. Yea, you made a mistake, but she overreacted. We both know you have tried everything possible to find her. If she is meant to be in your life, you will meet again, and if she isn't, then...." Irvine could not continue. He expected Squall to react negatively to what he said, but instead, he only sighed and walked towards the bus stop.

Zell moved up next to them. "You know, we aren't gonna have time to get to the hotel before our meeting."

Squall opened his mouth to say something, but Irvine cut him of and answered "Zell, that's 'cause we need to stay near her. Our accommodations are going to be provided for us close to this guys daughter."

Zell nodded knowingly "Ah, I understand. So that we can defend her at night too"

"You got it." Irvine replied. "You know, this is probably going to suck. Some rich spoiled brat. And knowing my luck, she is going to be ugly and with a shrill voice, making the days even longer. She probably is gonna have us running stupid errands too."

Zell snorted and almost doubled over laughing "Yea, like our contract with the Timber Owls."

Squall stopped in his tracks. Zell winced and Irvine buried his face in his right hand and shook his head. Zell slowly turned to Squall and started stammering "Ah... Squall... I meant like... ah.... when they had you... ah.. wake up Rin... err..."

If looks could kill, the stare Squall gave Zell could wipe out an army. Zell's face screwed up and he turned to walk quickly to the bus that just arrived and disappeared into it. Irvine followed him, and got onto the bus before glancing back at Squall, who stood rooted in place. "Come on Squall, were gonna be late."

Squall stared out at the city once again, before sighing and getting on the bus.

* * *

The three SeeDs sat in the living room of the Darvin mansion, waiting for their client to arrive. Though they had been 10 minutes late, they had been waiting 20 minutes already, and all three of them were starting to get bored. Squall stood staring out the window, which afforded a spectacular view of Galbadia City. Zell was pacing back and forth in his classic manner, and Irvine sat on a couch with his feet planted on a coffee table and his hat covering his eyes, like he was trying to sleep.

This continued for another few minutes before Zell had enough. He stopped and threw his arms in the air "Sheesh! they hire us to come here, and tell us that this is of high importance, then make us wait?! What's goin' on?!"

Squall glanced at Zell momentarily "Zell, shut up and be patient, they hired us, they will come."

Irvine tipped his hat back up "He's right, Zell, they are our clients. They can make us wait if they want to.

At that moment the door opened, and a tall man with balding hair walked through. He wore an immaculate 3 piece suit that looked like it was made from Centra silk. His hair ringed his head like a circlet, his bald top shining in the artificial light. He stood about 2 inches taller than Irvine, though with the hat, they were about even. "Gentlemen" he began "Allow me to apologize for my tardiness, but there were some pressing matters that I needed to attend to. My name is Arne Darvin."

Squall looked to Irvine, who stood up and extended a hand "Me name's Irvine Kinneas, I'm commander of this unit." He motioned to his companions "This is Squall Leonhart, and Zell Dincht."

Darvin offered his hand to Squall "Its a pleasure"

Squall stared at Darvin, keeping his arms crossed. Darvin kept his hand extended for a moment with confusion and some shock on his face before Zell grabbed his hand and pumped it furiously. The short blond smiled "It certainly is, sir! Your company has done quite a bit for SeeD, and we are honored to return the favor."

Irvine was stunned. _Nice save Zell_. Zell usually had the mouth that caused problems in the group, and this was certainly a welcome change. Irvine noticed that Darvin still had not taken his eyes off of Squall, and quickly picked up the slack "Shall we get to business? I'm sure you want us to get on the job as fast as possible"

The balding man stared at Squall for another second with shock and insult written all over his face. Irvine could almost not contain his wince. Darvin was a member of the Galbadian elite, and Squall had done the equivalent of slapping him in the face. This would not go over well, but probably he will overlook it Irvine mused. Darvin finally took his eyes of Squall and motioned for the three to sit down. Squall stayed standing with his arms crossed. Irvine sat back down on the chair he was sitting on before, and Zell sat on a leather sofa. Irvine noticed him bounce on it once with a childlike grin on his face, before he got a hold of himself and turned "professional"

Darvin started first "Gentlemen, as you hopefully know, you have been hired to protect my daughter. she is very dear to me, and I do not want to see anything happen to her. I have recently been receiving threats from a fringe group in Centra to make some military grade weapons for them. They offered compensation, however, they are listed by Galbadia as a terrorist organization, and thusly, I'm bound by law not to deal with them. They didn't like my response, and 3 days ago I received this letter."

He removed a folded piece of paper from his jacket and handed it to Irvine. Irvine unfolded it and started reading the typed font...

Dear Mr. Darvin,

I am dismayed by your refusal of our generous offer. We are willing to compensate you at double normal price, however, we need this equipment. Therefore, we are amending our offer. We greatly desire this equipment. Therefore, we will keep our compensation offer the same. However, if you do not accept, we will take drastic action to make sure you change your mind. You have until Monday at Noon to respond in the usual drop. I urge you to accept our proposal.

Yours Truly

John Doe

P.S. Your daughter is a very intelligent and beautiful young woman. I would hate to see something happen to her.

Irvine finished reading and passed it onto Zell to read, while Squall read the contents over Zell's shoulder. Irvine, meanwhile, sat and absorbed the implications of this, his mind turning to his usual thought processes. _She is beautiful the guy said. Heeeeeey, that means this might be a fun assignment after all. _As Squall and Zell finished reading the note, Darvin continued "As you can see, I am concerned for my daughters well-being. The deadline for this note passed about 45 minutes ago, and I delivered my response saying no."

Zell spoke up "I'm curious, why did you not want us to come until today? I mean, we could have been here Saturday, and your daughter could have been kidnapped or something to hold against you and force you to accept by today."

Darvin paused for a moment. "That wouldn't fit the profile of these terrorists actually. They seem to be more afraid of something and have become reluctant terrorists rather than extremists. Besides, my daughter was here ever since Friday night, and this mansion is well guarded."

Squall finally spoke up "But your guards might be in league with these terrorists. That was an awfully big risk to take."

The balding man replied "I don't think so, I've known most of these guards for years. They are more like family than hired employees. Besides, my daughter is very capable of defending herself."

A knock sounded on the door. "Ah, that must be her." Darvin stood up "Come in."

The door opened. Irvine's assessment of the note had been right, though grossly under-exaggerated. Zell's jaw dropped and Irvine's eyes lit up as he whistled, then grinned broadly. Even Squall's eyes popped wide open, though he controlled himself a lot better than his comrades.

The young woman was wearing black leather pants and a light blue spaghetti strap tank top that left her midriff showing. A black bra strap showed underneath one spaghetti strap slightly, which was obviously helping out her well endowed chest. Her blond hair was kept free-flowing, and went down to the middle of her back. She wore black heeled sandals which added to her already impressive height. With them, she stood as tall as Irvine. She smiled as Irvine whistled, and that smile seemed to radiate throughout the room, Her soft hazel eyes gave Irvine a rundown, before moving to Zell and Squall.

The oldest person of the group smirked at the reaction of the SeeDs. _They are really too young for this. They might be the best soldiers in the world, but they are too young. _He broke the spell "Gentlemen, may I present my daughter Natalie Darvin? Natalie, these are the SeeDs I told you I'd hire to protect you." He motioned to Irvine "This is the team leader..."

Natalie interrupted him. "Father, I told you I don't need protection, I can take care of myself. I don't want hounds watching my every move."

Her father sighed "Natalie, I do this because I love you. I don't want to see anything happen to you, especially something that is really my fault."

Natalie sighed. The older man continued. "This is Irvine, the team leader."

Irvine took off his hat and put it over his chest as he bowed "A definite pleasure, ma'am" He still had not wiped the smile off his face.

Natalie held her smile freely. _Definite lady's man, better avoid him._ "Could you introduce me to your friends?"

Irvine's broad grin still was plastered on his face "Sure thing, suga. Sitting down over there is Zell." Zell's mouth was still open wide as he absentmindedly waved. "And behind him, is Squall"

Squall's eyes had returned to normal for a while already, and nodded to her. He then noticed Zell still gaping, and slapped him upside the head. Zell did not respond. It was as if he never even noticed the impact. Squall slapped him again, much harder this time. "Owww! Geeze man! What gives?!" Zell turned and gave his best nasty glare at Squall as he rubbed his head.

The elder Darvin watched the scene with great amusement, though the only sign of it was the small smirk returning to his lips. _DEFINITELY too young_. "Well, gentlemen, I will conclude by saying that you are to consider her orders my orders, except you are not allowed to obey her order to leave her alone and go back home."

With that, he stood up and walked out the door. Natalie meanwhile was giving Squall another rundown with her eyes. _Pretty hot, I wonder if he is taken._ She could have sworn that she had seen him before, but could not place where. "So, where should we start?"

* * *

In the end, the four agreed that one of them should act as an escort, while the other two would hang back several feet. Now it was just a matter of who.....

"I'll be honored to escort you, ma'am"

Irvine flashed another grin and offered his arm to her. Before, she could do or say anything, Zell shoved him out of the way. "No way man, I'll escort her."

Irvine snorted. "are you kidding me? your a midget compared to her!"

"Yea? We'll see if your still yappin' after I kick your ass!"

"Hah! my perfect ass would deflect the blow!"

"Not after I knock that hat off of it!"

"Why you little...."

They continued to squabble amongst themselves for a few minutes, while Natalie smiled and laughed at their childlike behavior. "Boys, as much as I'm flattered by your... competition... I'd rather have Squall here escort me."

Squall looked up with a start. He had been leaning against the wall with his hand covering his face at his comrades' actions "What?!"

Irvine and Zell just stood stone-like, staring at her. Irvine had his hand wrapped around Zell's neck, while Zell had Irvine's ponytail in his, both ready to punch each other. "Don't worry boys, you each will get a chance." She smiled even brighter and chuckled as she offered her arm to Squall.

Squall stared at her arm and then at her face. "I don't think...."

Natalie cut him off "I'm not taking no for an answer, or do we need to bring up your contract?"

Squall scowled as he continued to stare at her, then extended his own arm for her to take. Zell walked up and slapped him on the shoulder and gave him a wink. Irvine on the other hand decided to speak up "Nice going man, you could do worse"

Irvine gave him a broad smile and Squall buried his face in his other hand again. His voice was muffled as he spoke "Irvine, if you don't **shut up**" Squall added extra emphasis to the last two words "you are going to have a gunblade imbedded in your skull."

* * *

The four youths left the Darvin mansion. Natalie had changed into sneakers so she would not tower over Squall, though she still stood an inch over his head. they walked arm in arm out the door. Squall had complained more about his "assignment," especially the part where they had to have physical contact. It took another mention of the contract to silence him, though the scowl and the stone glare remained. Irvine and Zell walked a little behind, carrying all their bags and Squall's gunblade box.

Zell moved the box from one hand to the other for the fifth time on their journey before he started to complain "Man, this thing weighs a ton! How does Squall carry it?"

"He takes out the lead weights that are in there right now"

"WHAT?!"

Zell dropped the case and flipped it open. Sure enough, under the padding of the inside, there were at-least 40 pounds of lead in the case. Squall noticed that the other two SeeDs had stopped, and returned. Zell turned with fury and stared at Squall, while Squall had a look of confusion on his face. "Zell, why are you putting lead into my gunblade case?"

"Zell stood up and threw his fists up and crossed them in front of him "Squall, how could you do that to me?!"

At that moment, Irvine doubled over, no longer able to contain his laughter. He fell to the floor and started laughing his head off. Squall covered his face, understanding what had happened. Natalie also found some amusement in the situation but hid it from her face._ These three sure are characters._ Zell was flaming mad, and Squall had to grab his shoulder to keep him from attacking Irvine. As Irvine finally stopped his laughter, Squall asked him "Irvine, where did you get those lead weights from?"

Irvine stood up and started snickering again "Hehe....That's my secret there... hehehe"

Squall sighed and removed the remaining weights from his gunblade case. Zell walked up to Irvine with murder written on his face. Squall stood up with concern that one or two of his friends might be needing medical treatment in a moment, but Zell just stood there and glared at the still snickering Irvine. Finally, Zell reached up very quickly and pulled Irvine's hat down as far as it could go, half covering his face, then walked away. Squall breathed a sigh of relief and closed his gunblade case again. As Irvine and Zell were collecting their gear again, Squall turned to Natalie "Where are we going anyway?"

Natalie pointed towards the shopping arcade "Galbadia City Hotel. I work as an entertainer there, playing the piano while my partner sings. We both have rooms in the hotel, and that is where I live. I'll arrange with management to get you guys a room next to mine."

The rest of the walk to the hotel happened without incident, and they walked into the lobby. Natalie went to talk to the manager of the hotel, and Irvine and Zell put down their luggage. Zell flopped into a chair "Man, I'm pooped!"

Irvine smirked but decided he had tormented Zell enough for the time being, though he would never admit it to anybody. Instead, he followed Squall back out the hotel. Squall was just lighting a cigarette, and stared at the cowboy. "Mind giving me one?"

Squall continued to stare for a moment before he took out his pack again and flipped it open. Irvine withdrew one and pulled out his own lighter. After he lit his cigarette, they stood in silence for a minute, before Irvine interrupted whatever thoughts Squall as thinking. "Feeling better? That black eye is almost gone."

"Mind telling me what happened last night?"

"Look man, you almost got yourself arrested, I'm gonna have to report this to Cid. If you tell me what happened, I'll be able to find a way to twist the story as not being your fault, that you were provoked, or attacked, or whatever"

Squall sighed. "One of them had a picture of Rinoa. It was... revealing... and they were gawking at it and shouting about her. I don't know if half the things they said about her were true or not, but I couldn't take it anymore. So I shut them up."

"Hmm... could you tell how old she was in the picture?"

"Definitely a little older and more.... womanlike... probably taken no more than a year ago. She was lying on a beach somewhere in a bikini. I gathered that the paparazzi has been stalking her."

"Deling City is quite a ways from the ocean, that maybe why we couldn't find her. She might have gone somewhere secluded."

"You mean Galbadia City"

Irvine's face screwed at his mistake "Err.... yea..."

Squall puffed on his cigarette again, and dropped it on the floor. As he was smashing it with his boot, he took out another one and lit it. Irvine stared at his own half-finished cigarette for a moment before continuing. "Hey man, don't worry about it, I will not send a report into Cid about this."

Squall glanced towards him. "You didn't have any intention of reporting it anyway, did you?"

Irvine grinned slightly "Well.. uh... no. I just wanted you to talk to me a bit."

Squall sighed and returned to his cigarette. Silence reigned between them for a while longer before Irvine spoke up again. "So, what do you think of Natalie"

"...Whatever"

Irvine grinned and put his elbow on Squall's shoulder and leaned on it. "Come on man, I know even you find her attractive. Don't think I didn't catch your expression back at the mansion."

Squall shoved Irvine's elbow off of his shoulder and turned away from him. "Irvine, Shut up now."

"Aww, come on man. Did ya see the way she was looking at you? Remember, she chose you to escort her first. She has it out for you man! Ya can't keep beating yourself up for Rinoa leaving you. She is the one who left, not the other way around. Ya need to move on and live a little. Besides, I bet Rinoa is out there on the beach right now, enjoying her time with some big surfer hunk, day and night, night and day..."

Squall whipped around furiously and grabbed Irvine by the neck and shoved him into the wall. Natalie had already returned from talking to the manager and was just giving Zell a key when they both heard a thunk from outside, and saw Squall assault Irvine. They ran out the door.

"I will deal with this the way I know best. People leave you and never come back. You can only rely on yourself, and I'm perfectly happy doing just that. But if you EVER talk about her like that again, I will make sure you never ride a horse, or a woman, again."

Squall pulled Irvine off the wall, and slammed him back into it again, before letting go of him and walking off, lighting a third cigarette. All three of them stared off at his departing figure. Irvine and Zell sighed and turned to walk back into the hotel again. Natalie continued to stare after him. _Talk about some emotional baggage. _

Author's comments: First off, I've slightly updated Chapter 3. Nothing new, just some grammar corrections and a slight clarification on the picture of Rinoa, thanks to beta reader for pointing out the need for clarification. Nothing you really need to concern yourself with, unless you want to go back. Second off, For those of you who have read Ashbear's Castles in the Sky, yes that was a nod to her supreme skill, and there will be at least one more. Chapter 5 up comming either late tonight or tomorrow, depends on my schedule and if any/all of my betas are online later tonight.


	6. Chapter 5

Squall continued his furious pace around Galbadia City. It had been over two hours since he had left the hotel, and he still felt like tearing Irvine's head off. Logically, of-course, he new that he should not feel any undue anger towards Irvine, he was only trying to help him and try to get him to move on with his life. Of-course, logic had little to do with anything concerning Rinoa, from the moment he met her at that dance lifetimes ago, to his dramatic rescue of her, to the sudden and angry departure 3 years ago, and the amount of self destruction he had done since.

He was so absorbed in the maelstrom which his thoughts had become that he did not notice what neighborhood of the city he was entering. The walls were old and cinderblock. Graffiti was everywhere, from the walls, to the wood boards that covered half the windows of the area. The other half the windows were all covered by strong bars, though some of them had obviously been damaged in burglary attempts. Squall had walked for about 10 minutes in this area before these facts dawned on him.

Squall consulted his memory of the map of Galbadia City, and realized he had entered Melrah, one of the worst sections of the city. It also happened that the hotel and the shopping arcade was on the far side of the neighborhood, about 2 miles away. He decided he would continue, because exiting and going around again would take over an hour on foot, and busses did not run through the area.

As Squall continued forward, he turned his thoughts to being aware of his surroundings. Were he not so distracted by this, he might have realized this was the first time in 3 years that he easily slipped into his role as a combat warrior. Sure enough, soon people started to take notice of the stranger in the neighborhood. He could feel eyes on him from every building that he passed. To make things worse, it was starting to get dark, and he saw no streetlights in view. Again consulting his memory, he decided to take a small alleyway to the next street over, remembering that this particular street he was walking on made a turn to the right and would run parallel to the street the arcade was on.

The alleyway was about one hundred feet long, and about 4 shoulder-lengths wide, and there was not a soul in sight. He started down the alleyway, increasing his awareness. it was about half way down when he first heard it. Footsteps. Behind him.

Squall made a quick glance over his shoulder and discovered 2 men following him. He slowly increased his pace to a brisk walk. He heard more footsteps, this time from in front of him. He discovered to his dismay that the exit to the next street was blocked off by 3 more men. As he closed, he gave the three men a rundown. Two of them, the ones on either side, were a little shorter than him, with no obvious armaments. The third one, on the other hand, was at least 6 foot 5, and was extremely well built. to make matters worse, he carried in one of his enormous hands a very heavy looking pole about 3 feet long. As he came within 10 feet of him, he stopped.

The footsteps behind him continued to approach, and stopped about the same distance behind him. No doors or windows presented themselves as a possible way of escape. He cursed himself for getting himself trapped and surrounded.

The tallest of the men in front of him took a few steps forward. "Well, well... What have we here? You's certainly a pretty boy."

Squall only stared back at him, saying nothing. His mind instead was racing to plan possible strategies on getting out of this situation alive. He did not like the fact that very few of these strategies did not involve extreme pain. "What, you got no tongue or something?"

Squall continued to stare at the man, while keeping a sharp ear for any changes in the locations of the men behind him. Finally, he decided on a course of action that would most likely get him through this situation. taking a few steps back, he annunciated his intentions clearly. "I am just passing through the area, and will be out of your sight before you know it. Please let me pass."

All five men burst into laughter. The man on the right in front of him whispered something into his companion's ear, while the tall man took another step forward. "I'll tell you what. We will let you pass. But, we require something.... in exchange for this. Say... 5000 Gils."

Squall frowned "I don't carry that kind of cash on me."

His opponent smiled. "Well then, maybe I could settle for that jacket of yours, hmm?"

Squall narrowed his eyes. "No"

The man opposite him started laughing again "Well then, I guess you cant pass then"

Squall calmly stared back at him taking note of his physical stature. He had to be at least 250 pounds. His rippling biceps had to be at least 8 inches in diameter, and his chest gave the hint of extremely well built physique. He backed off a step. "I would reconsider if I were you. Unless you don't want to see the light of day tomorrow."

Another ripple of laughter burst through the five people surrounding Squall. "What do you think you are boy? A SeeD or something?"

Laughter again ensued. Squall smirked slightly at this comment but remained silent. Taking another step back, he glanced over his shoulder to give the two men behind him a rundown. He noted a rather large knife in the left most person's hands, while nunchukus occupied the other's. He turned back forward to note that a baseball bat and a knife occupied the other two men's hands. As the men continued to laugh, he decided now was as good of a time as any to move.

Squall quickly spun and charged the man with a knife. He jumped onto a wooden box that was tucked against the wall, and pushed off of it. Before any of the 5 knew what was going on, both of his feet connected with the knife wielder's face. Squall rolled onto the floor, and used his legs to knock the nunchuku holder's legs from under him. Squall continued this motion fluidly, and was standing in less than a second. A boot to the side of the head increased Squall's odds to three to one. Those three stood agape at how quickly their comrades were taken down. That is until anger contorted the leader's face.

The leader charged Squall and swung the pipe at him. Squall ducked and dashed past him, and continued onwards. His shoulder connected with the man holding the baseball bat's chest, and Squall felt several of the man's rips crack. Unfortunately, Squall's feet got tangled in the other mans feet and he hit the ground. The remaining two were charging him, and he knew he did not have time to get up before they were on-top of him.

Squall closed his eyes and held his palm out towards them. Lightning blasted the leader as Squall cast Thundaga, and he dropped hard. The last person skid to a stop at the sight of this, and stared for a moment, before dropping his knife and running down the alley way again. Squall picked himself off the ground and stared at the 4 unconscious men for a moment before continuing onwards.

A wiry smile formed on Squall lips.

* * *

Zell inserted the key into the door and turned the knob. A small push got the gold framed oak door moving, "OH MAN!!!"

Zell raced into the suite, dropping their luggage at the door. The room that he entered was huge, and richly furnished. the couch was black leather, and had a very comfortable and tasteful dining set in it. A kitchen was tucked away in the corner to the left of the door, and each of the opposite corners had a door that led to small but comfortable bedrooms. Zell ran in and started sit hopping on the plush couch, before grabbing the remote control and switching on the forty-two inch flat panel television. As the martial artist continued to flip through channels, Irvine brought all their luggage into the room. He started opening cases and unzipping bags, and dragged out some equipment. "Zell, reckon you mind gettin' off your lazy ass and lendin' me a hand with the surveillance equipment?"

Zell sighed and switched off the TV. "What's our plan for this stuff?"

The cowboy paused for a moment to consider. Natalie's room was at the end of this side of the hall, and this suite and one more room (which they also had rented) were the only other ones on this side of the elevator. "Okay, here's what were gonna do. This living room will be our command center, you and I will stay in these rooms, while Squall is in the other one. I don't think either of us wants to be in the same room as him, I reckon?"

Zell's nod came very quickly, and Irvine continued. "You take the laser strips and hook them up at the start of the hallway. Run them down both walls from the roof to the floor. then take the pressure mats and cut the carpet so that you can put them underneath. Make sure to cut at the wall so that no-one will be able to see that you moved the carpet. I'll be setting up our monitor and recording equipment in here, along with our sound alarms in both this suite and Squall's room. If you finish with your stuff, setup the camera at the other end of the hall and the motion detectors in all 3 rooms. Here's the lass' key"

Irvine removed a metal key from his jacket pocket and handed it to the blond. Zell gave Irvine a mock salute and gathered up the laser strips, then left the room. As Irvine began setting up some equipment in this room, Natalie popped her head in and coughed. Irvine looked up and smiled "What can I do for ya, ma'am?"

Natalie stepped into the room. "I am going to go downstairs to the bar. I am meeting my partner and we need to practice the music that she wants to play for this Friday."

Irvine straightened up. "Sure thing, Lass." he walked over to the table and picked up Exeter and latched it in his under arm sling. After throwing his coat over and concealing the gun, he put his hat back on, smiled, and extended his arm towards Natalie. "Shall we?"

Natalie smiled and took his arm, walking out and almost into a confused Zell. "Huh? what's going on?"

Natalie responded that they were going downstairs so that she could practice. Irvine continued. "Zell stay here and continue setting up the stuff. Radio if you need help."

Zell's face contorted in anger and he beat his fists together "Tsk! Fine" He continued to mumble as he ran a wire from the two strips now hanging off the walls into the suite living room.

Irvine and Natalie got into the elevator and started riding down to the lobby. "You know, he really is a sweet boy. Kinda hot tempered, but lovable all the same."

Irvine smirked as he remembered the joke which he played on Zell before. "Yea, wouldn' trade him for the world, a great partner and a great friend."

Natalie's face turned towards a frown for a moment "May I ask you something?" Irvine nodded "Why is Squall... so...well..."

Irvine interrupted her "Squall-like?" Irvine smirked slightly but lost it as he continued. "We all grew up in an orphanage together, with a few others, Squall had come after his mother died giving birth to him. He and his half sister, who was a few years older than us, used to play quite a bit. Then she left when he was five, Squall fell into a sort of depression. He was hurt because he thought that everybody disappeared and hated him. I left soon after, and only bumped into them a little under 4 years ago. I guess he took that feeling and closed himself off completely from everybody else. But during a mission we had, he met this girl who broke through the barriers that he put up. They quickly fell in love and were going good for about 10 months before she suddenly departed after a fight, not their first, nor their worst either. I guess Squall felt vindicated and fell back into his old self, save one difference, mentioning this girl brought his anger to the surface, as you saw earlier."

The elevator dinged and the door rolled open. The two stepped out. Natalie frowned again "Did this girl love him in return?"

Irvine responded "As far as we all could tell, they were both head over heals. Maybe Squall had problems showing it sometimes, but no one could question his devotion and feelings towards her, except her it seems."

Natalie's face took on a stoic look "It must have been heart wrenching for him when she left. How could any woman just leave him like that? How could she be so cruel?"

It was Irvine's turn to grimace "I don't know, but trying to hold Squall together has been almost a full time job for us. He tried to push all his friends away, and almost got himself killed several times."

As the two walked down the stairs into the lounge. Natalie felt a slight worry when she saw the room empty. She then spotted a folder lying on the piano and walked over to it. There was a note sitting on the folder "Here is the music which I've selected for Friday, including a new song. I'm out walking the dog and buying a new dress for the performance. Practice, and we will rehearse tomorrow. - R." Natalie read the note and opened the folder, perusing the sheets of music lying inside. She turned her head towards Irvine and smiled "Would you mind waiting upstairs? I get a little nervous trying to practice with people in the room, especially when working with new pieces."

The cowboy frowned. "I don't think I should leave you. What happens if someone tries to get you?"

Natalie pointed towards the back stage area. "There is a door that locks from this side back there, that is the only way in besides the stairs. Lock it up and wait upstairs, and if someone does come, ill scream okay?"

Irvine walked into the backstage, and found the door. He locked it, then put a laser detector on either side of the door. He walked back into the lounge and glanced at Natalie, who was opening up the baby grand, once more before walking up the stairs.

* * *

Squall finally worked his way back to the hotel. It had been over four hours since he had smashed Irvine against the wall. The fight that he had gotten into had done more for his temper than he could have imagined, it felt like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders. He paused a few steps from the door to the hotel. He glanced at a store just across the street, which looked like a woman's formal apparel store. Lying just outside the door, he thought he saw a dog with brown and black fur, but he could not tell. Strangely he got an overwhelming urge to walk into the store, and dismissed it instantly as stupid and insane. He turned and walked into the hotel.

Rinoa walked out of the store carrying a deep blue dress wrapped and boxed. She stopped and pet Angelo, then gave him a treat. If she had looked up, she would have seen a figure wearing a black leather jacket walk into the hotel. She stood up and motioned for Angelo to follow him. Suddenly, she stopped. A soft summon seemed to pull at the back of her mind, causing her focus to drift absently to the hotel, it felt, strangly, as if she were being called. She thought that perhaps she should just walk in real quickly and put away her dress before taking Angelo for a walk, but one glance at her dog dissuaded her of that. Still, she wanted to go back, she could not explain it. She sighed and walked towards the park, Angelo right at her heels yapping.

Squall entered the hotel and saw Irvine sitting reading a magazine with his back turned towards him. Squall quietly walked up behind him and looked over his shoulder at what he wads reading. At first he thought that it was one of the many magazines that the hotel had sitting on the table in front of him. Half a second later, he amended that Irvine would probably never read them and that he probably kept it in his jacket._ I wonder if Selphie knows he reads that magazine_. Squall smirked at the scene which he imagined would be caused if he told... or "discovered." Then logic got the better of him. That would be an absolute nightmare. _But it wouldn't hurt to make Irvine indebted to me a little..._ "Wow, Irvine, does Selphie know about that?"

Irvine jumped at Squall's voice. He spun around horrified and dodged the magazine under his coat. Squall made a careful note that he was tucking it into a pocket on the left side, near the bottom, on the inside of his jacket. "Squall! Buddy!" Irvine put his arm over Squall's shoulder "We... ah... no need to mention this to anybody, I reckon?"

Squall eyed the cowboy warily. "We'll see" Irvine's eyes looked like he was begging, but Squall changed the topic very quickly. "Where's Natalie?"

Irvine removed his arm from Squalls shoulder. "She's downstairs practicing" Squall opened his mouth but before he could say anything Irvine continued "Don't worry, the only other entrance into the lounge is a door that is locked and alarmed by our personal equipment. If anybody goes down there, I'll know."

Squall studied Irvine for a moment, then inquired "How long has she been down there?"

Irvine studied his watch for a moment "'Bout 3 and a half hours, I reckon"

Squall rubbed his chin while considering "I think I will go down make sure she is..."

At that moment, Natalie walked up the stairs, carrying the folder that she had been studying earlier. "Squall! I see you have returned."

Squall nodded and bowed slightly. "Ms. Darvin, I apologize for leaving abruptly before. Shall we conduct you to your room?"

From behind Squall, Irvine's jaw dropped. From her perspective, Natalie caught it easily, but did not press the matter. She too was surprised by Squall's manners, or more specifically, the fact that that he was being openly friendly and having manners to begin with.

The three made their way to the elevator in silence. The elevator quickly climbed and deposited them on the 14th floor. Squall's eyes fell on Zell still working on setting up the security equipment. Squall proceeded to inquire Zell about the security arrangements for a minute, then headed into his own room and shut the door. Zell went back to his work diligently, and Natalie motioned for Irvine to go into her room.

Irvine's face grew a wide, dirty smile as he walked into Natalie' room. She set down her folder, then turned and was about to start talking to Irvine when she caught his grin. She covered her face and groaned. "Irvine, wipe that smile off your face. I'm not that type of girl and you aren't my type of guy anyway."

Irvine winked at Natalie, the grin remaining on his face. "Just messin' with ya, lass. So what's up?"

"I caught your shock when I came up. I get the feeling Squall isn't a very open person, but that jaw drop had me curious what I missed"

Irvine's smile disappeared instantly as he rested his bottom on the desk. "Its just that Squall hasn't apologized to anybody once since... well... in the last 3 years... since he closed up again. And forget that, he was purposefully polite to you, that is certainly rare indeed. Not even the Headmaster hears him like that very often, and he pays Squall's check" Irvine snorted slightly.

Natalie looked thoughtful as Irvine scratched his stitches. "To tell you the truth, he has been a total wreck. I know he is hurting, but he will not let anybody close again."

"I assume you have tried your various guy ways to drag him out of this?"

"Most of them. Squall is a warrior down to the bone. The absolute best way for him to blow off steam and work off anger and frustration is by killing something with his gunblade. But the Headmaster forbade him to go into the Training Center 'cause of several accidents that occurred that almost got him killed. My guess is that somewhere along his walk, he found a fight and cleaned the house."

Natalie listened in silence, considering what to do. She abruptly started walking out the door. Irvine was right behind her "Hey! Where do you think your going?"

Natalie turned and faced Irvine. "Obviously, male psychology isn't working, so I'm gonna work him myself."

"Now wait here one minute! I'm not gonna let you do anything that might harm him."

"Oh please, Irvine, I'm not going to try to force myself on him. I'm only going to see if I can pull him out enough that he will be pleasant to work with. Now is a very good time, considering what happened downstairs."

The cowboy furrowed his brows "I'd be careful, the lady in question made it a stated fact that she wanted to draw him out of his shell, and he ended up here. He might not take kindly to it, and might start associating your actions to hers. Not to mention they met because she was a client for SeeD and he was the one assigned to her."

This produced a snort from the tall blond woman. "Oh please, I can sense your jealousy from a mile away. I'm not going to try to seduce him. He might be cute, but I'm not going to do anything."

A fitful laugh was heard down the hall. Natalie and Irvine turned to see Zell rolling on the floor trying to contain his laughter. "Oh Hyne, if you are going in there, id drop the 'cute' idea. The commander will blow up faster than I can eat a hotdog."

Something about what Zell said buzzed around Natalie's mind demanding attention, but she could not place it. She shook her head and stared down the corridor, but Irvine grabbed her arm and stopped her immediately "Did you forget what I just said?"

The blond sighed and stared right back at him. "Look, I'm not going to seduce him. I love how the three of you fawning over me. I wouldn't get rid of it for anything right now." She smiled and gave Irvine a quick kiss on the cheek.

Irvine blushed and before he could register it, Natalie had already disappeared into Squall's room.... without knocking. Irvine and Zell exchanged looks and prayed for their commander's sanity... and that the mission would not end unexpectedly and tragically tonight.

* * *

Squall rested his hands against the wall of the shower, leaning his weight on it. He had finished a long day, and the shower felt like a godsend on his aching muscles. He finally summoned the will to step out of the shower, and proceeded to dry himself off. He was really looking forward to just flopping on the bed and sleeping. After wrapping his towel around his waist, he opened the bathroom door and stepped out. He immediately wished he had not.

Natalie was sitting on his bed, her arms propped behind her, and leaning back against them. Squall could not help but run his eyes over her curves. The way she sat seemed to accent them. Squall swallowed and tried to move himself, but failed. "Its about time"

It took Squall a moment to register that she had spoken, but when it did, he finally got control of himself again, and scowled. "What the hell are you doing in here?"

"And men complain that we take too long in the shower. I've been waiting here at-least a half hour." Natalie stood up and approached Squall "Now, id like to have a very civil conversation with you. You have two choices. I can either step into the bathroom and let you change, which entails that you will tell me what I want to know willingly, or we can talk like this."

Natalie ran her fingernail over Squall's chin and down his chest. Squall, in an amazing amount of self-control, stepped back. "Get into the bathroom."

Natalie smiled and walked into the bathroom closing the door. Squall quickly changed into boxers and pants, and then slipped on a tee-shirt. He paused to clear his head, then returned to the bathroom door and knocked. Natalie opened the door then brushed past him and sat down in one of the room's couches. Squall ran his hand through his wet hair and leaned against the wall. "You wanted to say something?"

Natalie narrowed her eyes. "Actually, I wanted to have a civil conversation with you. You seemed like you were in a good mood before."

"I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but I don't have 'civil conversations' here."

"You did once."

Squall narrowed his eyes. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Irvine told me about your previous relationship. Don't worry, I'm not in here to try to plant myself on top of it. As your employer, your personal attitude can have an adverse effect on this contract, so I need to be able to understand you."

"If Irvine told you about it, then why do you need to ask me?"

"Because he can't tell me what you are thinking, and what you are feeling."

"Yea, well I don't tell anybody that. What makes you think you are any different?"

"One word: Contract."

Squall's eyes narrowed again "I don't believe me telling you all about my personal life is mentioned anywhere in that contract."

Natalie smiled "No, but predicting your teammate's actions is a must for a military unit. I need to know how you think so that I can predict yours."

Squall paused a moment considering "You seem to know quite a bit on military psychology."

"You would be surprised on what I know. But you are dodging the subject. I want to talk to you about the past."

"And if I refuse?"

"Natalie's smile turned wicked in an instant "Then we can wait until the next time you are showering, and next time I will not let you change."

Squall frowned again "I can lock the door you know."

Natalie fished through her purse and withdrew a hotel key from it. "How do you think I got in to begin with?"

Squall covered his face with his hand "...Whatever"

Natalie's smile turned pleasant again. "Well?"

"I hate women."

"You would be surprised how many of us say that about men."

"Do you really think that after meeting me less than 12 hours ago, you can understand me enough to be able to help my problems?"

Natalie's smile slowly vanished "No, that is why I am asking you to talk to me. So that I CAN understand. No one can understand and help you unless you talk to us and let us help you."

"Has it occurred to you that I don't WANT your help?"

"Has it occurred to YOU that burying your emotions only works for so long? You are a military man, you should know that Psychology 101 states that '...without the proper outlet, emotions can build up and affect the judgment of the soldier until a release comes in the most adverse of times.'"

Squall rubbed his chin, his eyes narrowing slightly "That is quoted right from Shaum's _The Soldiers Mind_"

"You are correct."

Squall sighed and buried his face in his hand again "You know, you are worse than she was. She waited a few days before she started digging and ripping out my guts."

Natalie paused to consider a moment "She was something special wasn't she?"

Squall only nodded his head in agreement. Natalie took this as a sign that Squall had acquiesced and pressed further "Did you love her?"

Squall did not hesitate in his response "With all my heart."

Natalie paused a moment before questioning him further. "Irvine said you had an argument the day she left. What happened?"

Squall sighed in obvious pain "It was her birthday. I had planned a big surprise party for her in Garden's ball room. Only Irvine, Zell, Xu, the headmaster and I knew about it. We spent weeks setting it up under the guise of the ballroom was off limits for remodeling. We had the schedule planned out so finely. She would wake up at 11 AM like always, walk into my office. I would take her to lunch in Balamb right there, While we were gone, Irvine would announce the party on the PA system and everyone would gather into the ballroom. When we got back, we would head right for the ball room and she would have her party. And then I...."

Squall's voice caught. Natalie stood up and walked over to him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "What happened?"

"She woke up early, and came to my office. I was busy clearing out some last minute items before I took the rest of the day off for her. She walked in at 9:15. The reservation was not 'till 11:30, and she started pressing me, asking me what I had planned for today. The problem was, I had meetings planned until 10:30, one was a phone conference with the President of Esthar and President Caraway. She started scolding me for making appointments on her birthday and demanded to know why I would do such a thing. I panicked. I don't know why, but I said I forgot about it."

It was Natalie's turn to cover her face with her hand. Squall turned and glared at her "I know, it was stupid, but my mind was desperate. I told her I needed to finish up the meetings and id 'make' a reservation at the restaurant I already had one for. She started yelling at me. I was in too much shock to register what exactly she said, but it was along the lines of 'why didn't I remember' and 'why was I ignoring her over the last months?'"

"Ignoring her?"

"I was getting nervous about all the preparations, I was spending almost every minute outside of my office in the ball room working on the decorations, even through the night a lot of times. Sometimes, I would just sit there and worry for hours."

"What happened then?"

"She started screaming about how I didn't love her and I was only stringing her along and left in a rush. I knew I could very well get injured if I followed her right then, she lost her temper with me before. So I figured I would give her an hour to calm down while I finished up the meetings, then go to her with the reservations."

"That sounds reasonable"

"I was on the phone with President Laguna when Zell rushed into my office and told me she had packed her bags and left a half hour ago. I immediately jumped and ran out the office, with the president still on the phone. I got to the garage and raced after her, but there was a child in the road about 2 miles from Balamb. I swerved to avoid him, lost control, and crashed into a signpost. I ran the last two miles with a broken leg, but I missed her train. I....."

Squall's voice cracked again and he covered his face with his hands while he started sinking slowly to the floor. Natalie heard the slight sobs coming from between his hands. _How could that woman not see how deeply he was in love with her? Was she blind?_ Natalie made a resolve that if she ever met the woman, she would slap some sense into her right then and there. "Squall, I don't know what to say. 'I'm sorry' seems too shallow for the grief you are feeling, and I'm sure you have heard that too many times anyway."

She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and sat down next to him. She realized this was way over her head and probably over most psychologist's too. After a few minutes, Squall finally spoke again "Natalie, thank you for your concern, but I don't think there is anything you can do. Please leave"

Natalie considered a moment, and stood up. "Squall, you might not know me well, but you can still come talk to me whenever you want. Your friends also care about you greatly. You don't have to face this alone, like you have been . It just doesn't work."

Natalie waited for any response from Squall , but did not get one. Quietly, she walked to the door and left the room. After quietly closing the door, she walked across the hall and into Irvine and Zell's suite. Zell and Irvine looked up from the television towards Natalie. They started to get up, but Natalie motioned for them to stop. "We have a lot of work cut out for us."

Without waiting for a reply, Natalie departed and went to her room.

* * *

Rinoa woke up suddenly. She did not remember her dream, but a feeling of total anguish suddenly had enveloped her. She could not place where the feeling was coming from, and it eventually subsided. She lay back down and closed her eyes, trying to forget the overwhelming feeling.

* * *

Squall was standing at the top of a hill in a park. That much was obvious, but he did not recognize it, nor did he have any idea where he was. He stared at a path of white bricks that lead around a few trees and down a hill, and then at a bench sitting to his left under a great oak tree. A few flowers poked up around the base of the trunk, like clouds across a green sky. These flowers were only beginning to bloom, but he recognized them instantly. _Edea's orphanage has the same flowers in the field. _

Taking a step closer to the tree, he glanced around looking for some mark so that he could recognize where he was. Before he could take a second step though, he stopped in his tracks. A woman stood there, her hair raven black and her back turned to him. She wore a light blue tee-shirt with the picture of an angel on it, and a white skirt that seemed to make her look floating.

Squall stood rooted in place as the girl bent down and picked a flower. She brought the now dying flower to her nose, hidden by her hair and took in its scent before laying it down sideways on the ground. A slight gust of wind picked up and a pink pedal broke free of the delicate object before floating up. A slender hand reached out to catch it and closed its fingers around it. Opening the fingers a white feather floated up from the hand and behind the woman. The woman spun, bringing her hand to her hair to push the wind whipped curtain of black out of her face.

Squall's heart leapt. He would know that face anywhere. The woman brought her eyes down from the sky where the feather floated and gazed directly at him, into him, and through him to his soul. Her hand still hovered near her face, frozen in the completion of its act to push the hair out of her face. Light brown highlights played in the wind as she stared with a completely frozen face, taking in the sight before her eyes. Rinoa finally dropped her left hand and brought her right hand to her mouth, which was just starting to open in shock. Time was irrelevant and the background faded away as the two stared into the other's face, disbelief written on both.

Squall opened his eyes and sat up with record speed. The sun was shining in the window that he had forgotten to cover the night before. He was back in his hotel room, though it took him a minute to recognize the place. The memory of Rinoa was still burned into his eyelids as he got out of bed to start the day.


	7. Chapter 6

Xu continued to go over the SeeD assignments currently active. Cid wanted a full report on how much income was currently coming in, compared to this month's expense report. No matter how she turned the pages, they still glared at her with the same inescapable fact. _We are in the red this month._ Xu sighed and massaged her temples. Cid isn't going to be happy about this at all.

Xu started working out how she would tell Cid. The nagging feeling that she was preparing her final words in this life just would not go away. So lost was she in her thoughts that when the telephone rang, she jumped half way out of her seat. She quickly scrambled for the telephone and picked it up. "Balamb Garden, this is Xu"

Xu's blood rushed. If this was another person looking for a SeeD contract, she could be saved. "Xu, may I please speak to Squ...... Commander Leonhart?"

Xu could have sworn that the woman's voice was familiar, but she could not place it off the top of her head. The voice sounded in pain and she thought she heard a bit of crying behind it as well. She glanced at Squall's closed office door. "I'm sorry miss, but Commander Leonhart is currently on assignment. Would you like me to forward a message to him?"

The voice came back weak and thready, barely above a whisper "No, thank you." A click was heard on the other end of the receiver, and Xu stared at her telephone. Something was nagging at her but she could not place it. She shrugged and hung up the telephone. It would come to her she knew. She proceeded to continue drafting a message for Cid.

* * *

Rinoa hung up her receiver. He is on assignment. Rinoa had no idea what induced her to try to call Squall after 3 years, but she was marginally glad that he was not there in the end. She doubted she could have said anything to him anyway. _He probably would have been very busy, buried in his work, and wouldn't have time to talk to me anyway. He never did._

Rinoa glanced at her clock. _I'd better get downstairs, Natalie is waiting to rehearse with me_. Rinoa stood up and walked out the door to the elevator. Her thoughts turned back to her dream the night before. _It seemed so real._ She remembered kneeling down in her favorite place in the park and picking up one of the flowers next to the oak tree. Then she caught the pedal which changed to the feather, and then spun to come face to face with Squall.

The elevator chimed and opened. Rinoa stepped inside and hit the lower lobby button, which would take her directly to the back entrance of the lounge. She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall, the images of her dream coming to mind in an instant. She remembered that she smelled the flower in her dream, the aroma coming to like it was real life. The elevator dinged and opened, and she cleared her mind, stepping out into the world. She could not afford to think about this now.

* * *

"Rinoa, as much as I don't want to pry, I have to ask you. Why are you always writing such depressing songs?"

Rinoa glanced at Natalie. They had been rehearsing for about four hours, and Rinoa needed a break to drink water. She stared at the music for a moment before responding. "Natalie, its just what I feel in my heart. I can't help it." Rinoa's voice was almost a whisper, and she was fighting back tears.

Natalie stood up from the piano and moved closer to Rinoa, gently enveloping the shorter woman in a light hug. "I think you need to talk about this. It's been eating you for a while now."

"I thought he loved me, Natalie. I was so caught up in my day dream of my perfect world that I missed him drifting away from me. I finally noticed them, but I let myself believe that everything was fine. Then he started spending nights away from me. He claimed he was working, but several nights I went to his office and he wasn't there. One time when he was 'working' I was wandering the halls, when I saw him walk out of his secretary's dorm room, with a smile on his face"

Rinoa sniffled slightly and wiped a tear from her eye. "Finally one day I confronted him, and he was just as uncaring and uncompassionate as ever. He made it clear that his work was more important than me. So I ran."

As she was speaking, Rinoa's legs had lost their strength, and only Natalie's surprisingly strong arms held her from falling to the floor. Rinoa continued, in only a whisper "I just can't stop thinking about him though. He probably hasn't given me a second thought, but after all this time, I still want him."

Natalie slowly lowered the raven haired girl to the floor. _This wouldn't be the first time this has happened to a woman. Some men are just heartless pigs_. "Rinoa, I can't imagine what you are feeling. Lets take a break. I think we are ready for tomorrow night anyway. I am going to dinner with some friends of mine shortly. Would you like to come?"

Rinoa picked her head up. She had a sudden, strange urge suddenly to go with the tall blond, which she could not understand, almost as if part of her subconcious mind was literally begging her to go for some reason. However, her higher, more logical part of her brain didn't particularly want human companionship at the moment. "No thank you, I need to walk Angelo and then I'm going to go to sleep okay?"

"Okay, but please eat something, you need your strength."

Rinoa only nodded and left towards the backstage elevator. If she had not been so distraught, she would have noticed a little device on the door, a device with a SeeD emblem. She ran onwards into the elevator, and for the second time this week, collapsed on the floor of it and started to cry.

Natalie walked up the stairs and joined Squall and Zell, who were sitting in the lobby reading. Or more precisely, were reading until a few moments ago. Now, Zell was hovering over Squall who had collapsed. Natalie rushed over and helped Zell bring Squall into a sitting position. "What happened?"

Zell's tattooed face was covered with worry "I don't know! We were here reading, and a few minutes ago, he just started crying slightly. I don't think he noticed it, but I did. I asked him if he was alright, and he stood up to snap at me, but then collapsed."

Squall's eyes came into focus and glared at the two blondes. "Could you two stop hovering over me like I'm and invalid?"

He slowly stood up on shaky feet, then straightened himself. Natalie and Zell were right behind him. "Squall, what happened?" Natalie's voice was filled with concern.

"I.... I don't know. I just had a sense of overwhelming... sorrow and abandonment."

Natalie glanced at the magazine which lay open on the table. "Was it something you read? What were you thinking?"

Squall shook his head "I don't know. I cant really remember WHAT was happening, only that I was suddenly overwhelmed by.... grief... and loneliness...."

Natalie and Zell helped Squall onto his feet "Lets get you upstairs. you probably just need to clear your head."

The three slowly proceeded to the elevator. Squall found that had problems walking for the first few moments after standing, almost like his legs refused to obey the commands that his brain was sending. Slowly, though, he regained full control of his motor skills and proceeded to the elevator. Waiting for the elevator to arrive, Squall's vision of the hotel suddenly dissapeared, and he was in the last place and time he expected.

_Zell was standing looking around the ballroom at the preparations for Rinoa's birthday party. He was pointing out various things which he had "improved engineering wise." Squall sighed almost inaudiably with boredom. He was just anxious to get the last few weeks of preparations done and see this through to the end. _

_Xu walked in, wanting to go over a few of the party event schedule. With everything done in the ballroom for the night, Squall decided that they adjourn to one of the dorm rooms to discuss this in more comfort. Xu volunteered her room since Rinoa was in Squalls, and Zell's room was kept in a parenial state of disarray. _

A sound foreign to the scene jolted Squall, and he shook his head and blinked. He was back in the hotel lobby. He recognized the sound to be the ding of the elevator arriving. Squall felt utter confusion and shook his head lightly. He was not usually subject to flashbacks. As a soldier he was trained from a very early age to focus his mind and not let it wander. As he walked into the elevator, he took a breath and slowly counted back from ten, a classic way to clear his mind.

The elevator door closed and he paitently waited... _as he thought about the excitement and thrill of the whole party. Xu had just finished detailing him the newest revised schedule of events for the party. They had spent two and a half hours going over it, and at multiple points in the discussion, things had turned off topic. Normally he frowned at such a diversion, but he had been so stressed and uptight over the work that had gone on since the New Year's celebration that he wanted to get his mind off it at least for a few minutes. _

_Now as he paused outside the door staring at it, he invisioned the party as he hoped it would turn out. The surprise, the cake, the presents, and the grand finale of... Squall's mind stopped in its track as he felt something literally brush his mind, like a half known presence. The next instant, he heard a whisper of moment behind him and he spun, but the hallway over to the T intersection was clear of all presence. He frown and briskly walked over to the intersection and looked both ways. The hallway was clear. He shook his head and put the event down as being overstressed...._ but this time the feeling that some wrongness did not go away.

"Squall?" Squall snapped his head up and looked at the inside of the elevator again. Natalie and Zell were staring at him with questions written on their face. Natalie's rich voice penetrated the silence "Squall, are you alright?"

Squall shook his head again. "Yea... sorry, my mind was just distracted. What were you saying?"

"I was saying ..."

"... _that you are a complete jerk! Not only did you forget my birthday, you made yourself a meeting with THAT MAN instead! You even are going to talk to your estranged father rather than to me today! Not only that, you have been almost completely ignoring me since the New Years! You spend so much time 'in your office, working' that I hardly ever see you anymore! When was the last time we ate dinner together even?!"_

_Squall's mind only half listened to the verbal abuse that Rinoa was angrily bestowing onto him. This was not the first time she had lost her temper, and Squall knew how to handle that usually. What made this different was that this was her birthday, the day that he, Zell, Irvine, and Xu had spend months preparing, and refining to give her the perfect surprise. Not only was she screaming at him, the schedule that they had so precisely planned and meticulously calculated was already off, and it was not even 9:30 AM yet. _

_Squall's mind raced for a way to salvage the situation without letting off the whole secret. He had spent years training for battle, and was no stranger on making snap battle decisions that could affect hundreds, or even thousands of lives. Yet the best he had just come up with was 'I forgot.' If Squall was not so busy trying to come up with other ways to salvage this, he would be holding his forehead in his hand cursing his stupidity. _

_Squall interrupted her. A split second later, he probably realized that was mistake number two. "Rinoa, please, just calm down a moment. I'm really, really, sorry. I just need to finish these meetings and I can get the rest of the day off. I'm the commander and Cid has been telling me to take a vacation, even just for a day. I'm going to do just that. I'll get us reservations at The Golden Chocobo, just like you've been asking me for weeks."_

_Squall knew that The Golden Chocobo was notorious for being overbooked, but since he already had reservations, he had no worries about getting in. He was about to mentally pat himself on the back for his recovery... when disaster snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. "NO! I don't give a damn about Cid or you taking vacation or getting lunch at a restaurant. I care about the fact that you have been ignoring me for the last two months!" Rinoa's shouts hit new volumes, and he realized he might be in more trouble than he thought. "I don't want to see you again!"_

_With that Rinoa spun on her heels and stormed from his office, slamming the door behind her. The shelf with his trophies from three concecutive years of The Galbadian Swordsman Competition shook, and next to it, a case containing the Esthar Medal of Honor, received after the Second Sorceress War, fell to the ground and shattered. _

_Squall let out a breath of relief. She had not used magic. That was a good sign... He could go to her in an hour after she calmed down, instead of spending the rest of the morning in the infirmary. Squall collapsed into his chair, reaching for the phone to call Irvine_.... and was caught by Zell and Natalie. Squall blinked in surprise, trying to figure out what was going on. "Squall what's going on?"

Squall was disturbed that he could not even identify who had spoken. "I... just was distracted... sorry. Some bad memories."

Zell's face fell. "About..."

Squall cut him off. "Yes, now just leave me alone. I'm fine."

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Squall stormed out of the elevator, with a feeling of rage that he could only half identify. It felt directed at himself more than anything. He stalked to his room and opened the door, and stopped when an arm wrapped itself around his well toned bicep. Turning he looked into Natalie's concerned eyes. "Squall, what's wrong?"

Squall growled "Nothing! Just leave me alone! I'm FINE!"

With that he ripped his arm out of her grasp and stalked into his room. Natalie was right there though. "Squall, please if something is wrong talk to us."

Squall stared at her, his anger redirecting itself towards her and showing clearly in his usually emotionless eyes. "...Whatever"

With that, Squall slammed the door in her face. Natalie looked to Zell and he shook his head. "I'm really worried about him."

Zell nodded once and responded. "So am I."

They turned and walked into her room, speculating about what happened. They were so engrossed that neither heard the light thump from Squall's room, indicating that he had collapsed yet again.

* * *

The four stood outside the door of The Prime Rib, one of Galbadia City's most expensive restaurants and their destination for the evening. Couples walked in and out at a lazy pace, all spectacularly dressed, and not the least concerned about the eloquence and splendor of the restaurant in true high class fashion. The building was a well lit two story marble building which gave the impression of being one of the oldest buildings in the city, with a rich history, while in fact being only a few years old. The fountains and statues implied the sophisticated nature of the establishment.

"Man, what are we doing here?" Zell fidgeted with his black suit, which would likely only barely pass the dress code for the restaurant, despite costing over 10,000 gill.

Squall stood in a slightly more elegant gray pinstriped suit, observing the decor of the outside of the restaurant. He faintly heard what he assumed to be a live orchestra playing music which drifted out the door as patrons walked in and out of the restaurant. He glanced over at Zell, who was still fidgeting with his suit. "Zell stop that"

Zell looked at Squall sheepishly, running his hand through his combed over hair which lacked his trademark spiked bangs, and passed onto the border of civility, Squall noted with a certain amount of cynicism. "Man, this is crazy! I this suit makes me feel... I look like.... I don't know what!"

Irvine's face lit up into an evil grin "A penguin perhaps?"

Zell whirled around and his fists shot up to make a cross "What did you call me?"

Squall stepped between the two SeeDs and cut them off. "Both of you cool it, now!"

Natalie snickered quietly to herself quietly as they walked into the restaurant. The inside was as lavishly decorated as the outside, and Squall confirmed his earlier hypothesis. There was a 14 member orchestra playing music in one corner, with a few couples dancing to a waltz that he could not identify.

They walked up to the host and asked for a table for four. The host was a moderately tall man who just stared at the four over his oversized French nose. He finally spoke after almost a minute of just staring with a nasal, accented voice "Of course, but I will need to ask le monsieur" If pointing at someone with your nose without overly insulting someone was possible, the host attempted to do just that towards Squall "to leave his.... weapon.... outside."

Five sets of eyes there, and several others from the surrounding area, fell onto the Lionheart gunblade, faithfully attached to Squall's belt. Squall's eyes immediately went back to the host and flashed with murder. "I am not leaving my gunblade outside."

The host's nose rose higher if that was possible. "I'm sorry monsieur, but weapons are not allowed in le restaurant. Either leave it outside, or I will have to ask you to leave."

Natalie stepped forward quickly. Moving inches in front of the host, she leaned forward, giving him a great view down her sparkling purple dress. "Do you know who I am?" At this, the host shook his head, eyes wide, and not making contact with hers. "I am Natalie Darvin, you might know my father?" The host nodded his reply, eyes still south of her face. "Well, these are my body guards. In order to do their jobs, they need their weapons." With a very sweet - and slightly seductive - voice, she continued "Maybe... do you think you could make a little exception?"

The host stammered, eyes still bulging out of his face. "I... uh...." his eyes flicked over the chart marking the seats in the restaurant. "I think... uh... I cannot make an exception in le main seating area madam, but ah...." he paused for a moment before stammering on "I have a private room here that I think I can put you in and make that exception."

Natalie smiled and stood back straight "Thank you" The host stood there with a blank face for a moment, before absentmindedly grabbing three menus and waving his arm. "This way please ma'am"

Natalie leaned over and whispered into his ear "I think you need another menu."

The host's eyes flicked towards her chest, then up to her face "Err... uh.." he shuffled through the menus in his hand for a minute with shaky hands, then grabbed a fourth one sheepishly and raised his arm again. He turn and scurried away, with Zell and Irvine close behind him. Squall on the other hand grabbed Natalie's arm to stop her from walking. "Do you always have to do that?"

The tall blond smirked evilly. "What, Squall? You jealous?"

Squall's standard scowl deepened. Before he could say anything further though, she expertly removed her arm from Squall's grasp and was off following the others, throwing a wink and a smile over her shoulders at the SeeD. Squall watched as her perfect, slender, body encased in hugging, sparkling, shin length fabric retreated away from him, then planted his face in his right palm and shook his head.

After the four were seated inside the private room, which could hold considerably more people, the host turned and eyed them once more, and did a double take on Natalie, before he shut the door and left them alone. Zell, Irvine, and Natalie sat and made idle conversation, and Squall sat with his arms folded and a cross expression on his face not paying attention to the conversation. This continued until the waitress knocked on the door and opened it.

They gave their order to the waitress. Squall and Irvine both ordered the signature Prime Rib, while Zell ordered hot-dogs. Natalie ordered pork chops. The waitress left, and the conversation continued, not even pausing when the waitress came back with wine for the party. Their conversation continued for 20 more minutes before their meal came. Squall still had not spoken one word, nor did it seem he was paying attention. Natalie decided to bring him in. "So, Squall, are you enjoying yourself?"

Zell stuffed half a hotdog into his mouth and started chewing furiously. Irvine was sawing into his prime rib, while Natalie had not touched her food, instead taking a sip from her wine glass and holding it near her head while she leaned back. She pressed Squall further "You know, this is one of Galbadia City's most expensive and highly rated restaurants. Anybody who comes here should enjoy himself, no matter how they feel."

Squall took his knife and sawed through a piece of his prime rib effortlessly. "...Whatever"

At this Irvine snickered, then swallowed the food in his mouth. "The only way Squall would ever enjoy himself is to go into combat and rip things apart with his gunblade. See the way he cuts his prime ribs?" Squall was just cutting a second piece of his prime rib "Its like he is in battle and his gunblade is in hand. He be going through it as viciously as he would a Ruby Dragon." Squall's attention turned from the slab of meat towards Irvine, who sat across the table from him, as the cowboy continued "Hell, I reckon he is wanting to pull the trigger on that knife to...."

Irvine's words were cut off as the knife Squall was using flew past his head and embedded itself in the chair back. Irvine's speech stopped in surprise as he sat in ex post facto fear. Zell even stopped stuffing hot-dogs in his mouth. Natalie still sat with her wineglass in hand, though she did not have the shocked look his friends wore on their faces. Squall managed a smirk, then, as he was reaching across to remove the knife from Irvine's chair, intoned in a light voice "Oops"

Squall sat back down with the knife in hand, and put the piece of meat that he had cut into his mouth. Zell finally wiped that stupid look of shock off his face and Irvine went back to his meal silently and slowly. Natalie looked at Squall as if she wanted to continue, but Squall flipped the knife in the air for a half turn, and caught it on the blade, in an obvious manner to throw. When her mouth closed again, Squall flicked the knife through his fingers until the handle was again in his grasp.

The minutes ticked by as the four ate their meal in silence. They were half way done before someone had the courage---or stupidity---to speak again. Zell finished up his second to last hotdog, then asked the woman sitting across from him "Natalie, I'm curious, are we going to be at your performance tomorrow night?"

Squall supposed as far as trying to start up conversations again, without running the risk of prodding the raging lion, talking about work as a good a way as any to do it. He glanced at the other blond, who was sitting quietly, staring at her food. She looked up and responded "Well, you need to guard me, so I suppose you are going to have to be close by correct?"

Squall rolled his eyes. This was just what he needed. He was going to be stuck in the same room as a hundred of the richest and snobbiest people in Galbadia City. Natalie caught the gesture, and inquired about it "What, does poor little Squall not like social gatherings?"

"Not particularly"

"Well then, just sit back and enjoy the show. I think even a grumpy person like you will enjoy the music. And I happen to know the repertoire, its grim and unhappy. You will enjoy it."

"Its not that. I just don't like being around people in general. The rich and famous of Galbadia will be there, making it about five...."

Squall was cut off as a huge explosion shook the building. Outside their room, they could hear glass shatter and hit the ground, and people scream. Then gunfire erupted. Squall, Zell, and Irvine looked at each other. It took about a second and a half after the explosion before all three SeeDs leapt up and charged out of the room. Squall shouted for Irvine to stay back and provide fire support while protecting Natalie. Then he motioned to Zell and the two charged out of the room.... into chaos.

Rich patrons were screaming and running in a general rout away from seven... no eight... armed men in forest camos. Squall shook his head._ Amateurs. They are just trying to intimidate. Those camos just make them stand out._ What did concern him was that two of them were armed with pistols, while the other six had various swords, pole-arms, and axes. Squall drew Lionheart and aimed the tip of his gunblade at one of the pistol-armed terrorists and pulled the trigger.

Lionheart glowed blue and a flash went down the barrel, sending a bolt of turquoise energy off the end and into the chest of his unfortunate target. The smell of charred flesh filled the air as he fell back with a hole burned almost clean through him. Unfortunately for Squall, they might be amateurs, but they were still trained. The second pistol armed terrorist turned and snapped off a well aimed shot before Squall could dive or reposition his gunblade to shoot him. Unfortunately for the remaining pistol wielder, Squall had other tricks up his sleeve.

Even as his aggressor pulled the trigger, Squall raised his left arm and concentrated on a single word. _Protect._ Then the gun went off. The bullet sped towards him, and smacked into a blue shield that had magically appeared in front of him. The bullet slowed and stopped while in contact with the field, before falling to the ground. _Its a good thing that was a pistol shot. _Squall knew that his spell could stop some gun fire, which is why they are not a common sight on the modern battle field. Too many armies had taught their soldiers basic protection spells. Higher powered weapons, however, can only be stopped by the powerful magic of sorceresses, as Edea had done with Irvine's sniper rifle round.

Squall had no more time to consider this, because one of the sword wielding men charged and swung his sword at him. Squall brought his gunblade up to parry. As crystal harder than diamond met steel, Zell shot from behind Squall and rammed his left fist into the swordsman's stomach. The martial artist's other fist found the man's face, and Squall heard a distinct pop as the unfortunate victim's jaw went out of alignment. Faster than anybody in the room could react, Zell jumped and kicked the man in the chest. The sound of ribs snapping was heard, and the sword wielder fell, for good measure, hitting his head against a table before blacking out.

Zell dived as one terrorist wielding a halberd swung his weapon at him. Zell rolled and popped up well within his opponent's minimum range and he went down to a furious assault from Zell. Squall in the mean time charged an axe wielding terrorist, and ax head and sword blade met. Squall threw aside the head to the left, spun with the momentum, and planted his now quickly moving boot in the man's face. As he fell back, the other sword wielder charged him. Squall exchanged several sword blows with him before dropping down and tripping his opponent with his left foot. As his opponent fell, Squall swung around, continuing the spin started by his tripping kick, and smashed his gunblade hilt into the falling man's skull. A distinct crack later, he was unmoving.

Squall heard a gun cock behind him, and turn his head, to find him staring down the barrel of a pistol. The second pistol wielder smiled at him. Squall cringed and a shot was fired and blood splattered all over Squalls face, but it took him a moment to realize it was not his blood. As the pistol wielder fell, he noticed Irvine tip his hat while blowing smoke from Exeter's barrel. Squall threw him a SeeD salute before charging into battle with the final sword wielder. Their blades crashed together several times as Squall and the final swordsman attacked and parried.

After one particularly forceful strike of his sword, Squall applied pressure to his opponent's weapon and, because of his guardian force enhanced strength, started to force him down. Movement caught his eye, and he looked towards the ruined glass to see five more terrorists walk through and charge Irvine. Squall shoved his opponent back and kicked him, sending the man sprawling backwards. Not out of the battle, but it gave Squall an opportunity to charge the new-comers.

Squall quickly judged that he would not make it there in time. Irvine's quick shots took down two of them, then he backed up trying to bring his barrel to aim at a third. Before he could fire, a flash of purple and yellow shot past the cowboy and engaged the three terrorists. In a flurry of fists and kicks that should have been impossible in the conservatively slit dress, Natalie disabled the final three in a show of martial arts that rivaled even Zell's ability.

Squall stopped short. _Where did she learn to do that?_ Squall's thoughts were interrupted as he heard crunching glass behind him. A glance over his shoulder showed the final swordsman charging him with his sword over his head, meaning to chop down on Squall. The SeeD did the only thing he could. As his attacker came to an arms length away, Squall dropped onto one knee and flipped his gunblade backwards in his palm. He brought it up and felt it connect with the other man's stomach, and go clean through. His victim gurgled and halted his charge, dropping his sword as Squall's blade continued deeper and out the other side. Squall stood up and brought the gunblade up through the man's chest, ripping a nasty gash in it, one that not even 10 Curaga spells could have a prayer of fixing.

The corpse slid off Squall's gunblade leaving a trail of blood on it as Zell joined him. One glance told all four that there were no more enemies on the field. Squall brought his gunblade into a left-handed back-hand grasp and approached Natalie and Irvine.

Squall and Zell joined the other two, then surveyed the carnage. 13 terrorists clad in forest camos lay in various states of brokeness around the restaurant, while several bystanders were either lying or crawling with various injuries, mostly from the exploded glass from the large windows. Much more glass lay covering most of the floor of the restaurant, and many tables and chairs were turned over, the meals that were on top of them strewn about the room haphazardly.

Squall heard a whimpering sound coming from behind a downed table near him, and propped it back up. Behind him, the host who had seated them lay cowering on the ground, with his hands over his head and laying on his knees. His oversize nose was the only distinguishable feature from his face at this angle. Squall also noted a liquid running its way from under the host. As the cowering man finally looked up into Squall's eyes, he could see fear in the man's features.

Squall reached a hand down in a gesture to help him up while Irvine and Zell went around casting cure spells. The host grabbed his hand, hanging on for dear life as Squall hauled him to his feet. Finally, the terrified man returned to a semblance of calmness and looked at Squall, before commenting in his accented, nasal voice "I told you that your weapon was not allowed in the restaurant." He turned his nose up and shoved Squall, not really displacing him, but showing contempt for him, and walked towards the entrance.

Zell and Irvine rejoined Squall, and all three turned their eyes on Natalie, who was brushing her hair out of her face and behind her back. She looked back with a question written on her face. "What?"

Irvine took off his hat as he replied "Ah, ma'am, its just we were wondering where you learned to fight like that."

Natalie narrowed her eyes and stared at him. "You think that just because I'm not a SeeD that I'm not allowed to know how to defend myself?" Irvine opened his mouth to protest, but Natalie cut him off before he could say anything. "Or is just because I'm a woman and I shouldn't know how to fight? Or better yet, I'm a rich spoiled brat and should only run and cower like everybody else in the restaurant when people show up with guns?"

Irvine's mouth hung with a loss of words at Natalie's admonishment, unable to speak. Squall, however, spoke up quickly. "We were wondering because it is uncommon to find someone with the same proficiency in fighting that SeeDs regularly train to."

Natalie regarded Squall and Irvine for a moment, but before she was able to reply, one of the terrorists near them moaned and slowly opened his eyes. Their attention turned towards him. He opened his eyes and blinked them into focus as Squall brought Lionheart to his neck. "What were you doing here?"

"Just..." The fallen man stuttered as he stared at the heavy blade hovering over his jugular "Just following... orders...."

"And those would be?"

"To.... apprehend Miss Darvin, and bring her back to our base.... to show her and try to get her help..."

Natalie frowned at this "Help on what?"

The downed terrorist looked up past the blade for the first time. "Help with convincing your father to sell us the weapons.... Please, I have a family, I need to protect them... thats why we need the weapons... we are just simple people wanting to live our lives"

Squall lowered the blade even closer to his neck "Protect them from what?"

"There is something down in Centra, something.... evil. All our crops are wilting, and our animals are dying, villagers are getting sick. Please, we don't want to hurt anybody, we just need these weapons to defend ourselves." The terrorist looked at each one with a combination of earnest pleading and true terror, not at the fact his life was hanging by a thread, but whatever it was that had these Centrans terrified.

Before Squall could ponder what the terrorist had said further, he heard sirens approaching the restaurant. He sheathed Lionheart and motioned. "We need to go, I don't think there will be anything good coming from our staying for the police."

The four headed towards the exit but was blocked by the host, who stood in front of the door. With his overly nasal and accented voice he chided them "Forgetting to pay your bill? Le restaurant does not like this. And look at all the mess you made"

Squall closed the distance between him and the person who, in his mind, was rapidly becoming more annoying than Zell. Towering over him, Squall stared into his eyes and gave him the famous Squall Leonhart Death-Glare. The annoying host visibly shrunk away from him, but before he could pursue things further, Natalie grabbed him by the shoulder "Down boy." Pulling her wallet out of her purse, she took out four bills from it and handed them to the host. Four eyes widened at this, as Natalie continued "Will this be enough?"

The host stared at the four 5000 Gil bills over his large nose. He reached out and snatched the cash from her hand and ran off quickly. The four proceeded out the exit and dashed around the corner as police and military cars passed by and stopped in front of the restaurant. They continued through side streets until they got back to the hotel and into their rooms. A quick check of the computer verified that the rooms were untouched.

With everything seemingly in order, Squall finally asked the question burning in his mind "Natalie, why didn't you tell us that you were trained in martial arts?"

Natalie sat down on the couch in the main suite and crossed her legs "Why do you think I didn't want to have body guards? I am very capable of defending myself."

Squall regarded Natalie for a moment before deciding on his course of action "Zell I want you to test Natalie's martial arts capabilities tomorrow. You are the martial arts expert in Garden. If she passes our Field Exam prerequisites, I will consider her a SeeD for the duration of the mission and redo our defense approach accordingly."

Irvine cleared his throat. Squall glanced at him "...With your approval, SIR"

Irvine smirked and took off his cowboy hat, tossing it on the table "I approve. I also want you to write the mission report to the headmaster tonight. He will probably want to hear your opinions on the terrorists."

Squall nodded and left for his own room. Zell, leaning against the wall, turned his head to Natalie "will 7 AM work for you?"

Natalie stood up and started walking to the door "See you at seven" With that, she walked out the door to her own room. Zell and Irvine glanced at each other, understanding passing between them. Finally Irvine spoke "I think Squall is back in action."

* * *

Squall sat in front of his computer considering his report to Cid. He understood why Irvine wanted him to make the report. _I am the Commander no matter what Cid said, and I know the best way to handle the situation._ Squall stood up and stretched his cramped muscles before looking at his watch. _3:15, I've been working on this for almost 5 hours. _

Squall knew he needed to get to sleep or else his combat abilities would be degraded tomorrow. However, what the terrorist said continued to plague his mind._ "There is something down in Centra., something.... evil"_

Squall's gut told him that the terrorist was telling the truth, that he was just a simple farmer, but something was scaring them and forcing them to acquire weapons, weapons that were illegal for most non-military personnel to own. He turned back to the SeeD report on the Centran terrorists. As far as SeeD can estimate, the terrorists number approximately 60-80 people, and are the equivalent to a military for the colonists, who number no more than 20,000.

Even with the weapons they wanted, Squall knew that anybody with a gram of sense could see that they had no chance of seriously threatening any nation in the world. Finally, Squall felt he could complete his report.

Headmaster

Attached is a detailed account of the Centran Terrorist's first attempt at abduction of our client. The attempt was easily thwarted. However, a statement made by one of them (see Pg 3, line 42) makes me wonder about their motives. Our report on them (Pages 5-7) match very closely with Galbadia's intelligence report on them (Pages 8-12). These are not extremists. They seem to be concerned mostly about something that is affecting their lively hood, but they do not know what it is. I recommend having a high level SeeD infiltrate and analyze ASAP. Nida, Xu, Fredrick, or Marius are all good selections for this proposed assignment. I am aware that I no longer hold the rank of Commander, but I think this is only prudent.

Squall Leonhart

Squall proofread his report, twice more before he finally sent it off. However, the mystery still nagged at his mind, and he knew he would not be able to sleep yet. He stood gazing out of his window at the Galbadia City Gate for more than an hour, recalling his fight with Edea and Seifer there. When he finally did drop off to sleep, it was a restless one.


	8. Chapter 7

Rinoa stared at her clock for at least the 10th time in the last hour. _5AM almost on the nose._ She groaned and turned away from her clock, rolling onto her stomach covering her head with her pillow. She had woken up almost 4 hours ago with a deep feeling of anxiety which just would not go away.

With a determined sigh, Rinoa stood up and put on a robe over her nightgown. Angelo was lying on her side, heavily sleeping. Rinoa stared down at her dog smiling slightly, watching as her legs jerked around slightly like she was chasing something in her sleep. No matter what though, the feeling of anxiety would not leave her.

The raven-haired woman got a glass of water from the bathroom before walking to the window and opening the shades. The magnificent view of Galbadia City greeted her on the other side. Her eyes went from the shopping arcade to the lighted clowns of the palace, then swept onwards to the city gate. She paused there, flashbacks of Squall getting pierced by Edea's ice bolt. She sighed again, feeling suddenly weary, and closed the shade. After finishing the glass of water, she opened her diary and turned to near the beginning, to the picture of Squall that she had looked at last week.

A tear formed in Rinoa's eye as she looked at the picture. She ran her hand over the glossy surface, hoping to feel Squall's face underneath her fingers but was disappointed. Her mind traveled to the day she left Garden, and she found, to her surprise, that her longing for Squall was greater than her anger towards him.

Rinoa slammed the book closed with a sudden jolt. The sound of metal clinking together indicated she had woken Angelo, who presently made her way towards her master to nuzzle in her hand. Rinoa's thoughts however, distracted her enough that she did not notice. _I can't forgive him. He ruined my birthday that year. Every year._ With these conflicting emotions running through her, she moved back to her bed, scratching Angelo on the ear before lying down. Sleep overcame her before she knew it.

* * *

It took Rinoa a moment to recognize where she was. The fish fountains were certainly familiar, but the entire second level was different. Instead of one classroom, there was a full suite of classrooms and teacher offices. She was standing next to the elevator, and the sign did not make sense either. The top read, Command Deck, followed by Classroom Deck, Main Deck, Gym Deck, and Storage Deck. The decorations around the main hallway were still mostly the same, but still different enough to nag at her mind.

She stepped down the stairway and turned to the right. One glance at the Infirmary told her that it was much larger than she remembered. The Quad also looked different. Before she had left, it was undergoing remodeling to repair the damage that was done during the battle with Galbadia Garden. She tentatively walked down the hallway to the Quad. Sure enough, it was an enormous expanse of fresh air. The stairs down had been widened, and split off in two different directions. To the left, she could see the stage, and knew for sure what she was seeing. She remembered sketching designs of a possible new stage with Selphie, and now she was looking at that stage that they agreed upon.

Straight ahead, she saw a grassy expanse that was large for something the size of Garden. She saw pine trees lining the sides and scattered around, with a trail and several benches running along the length of it, but her eyes were drawn to the middle of the small park. There, stood a great oak tree surrounded by a ring a few feet wide of flowers. It was the tree that she and Squall had planted the Christmas she was there. It was larger to be sure, but she could still make out the carving that Squall made on the trunk with his gunblade. The flowers she recognized from Edea's orphanage. Rinoa frowned at this. _I don't remember anything about planting flowers there._ She stepped closer to the tree and stopped only a few feet away.

It was then she noticed something on the other side. Stepping around Rinoa saw a person in black leather sitting on his legs and holding a flower in his hand. Squall quickly noticed her approach and stood up, shock written on his face. Both stood rooted in place while staring at each other. To Rinoa, Squall seemed older, his face more defined and manly, a light stubble covering most of his face, making it look like he had not shaved in a few days. His hair was still the same that she remembered. Gazing into his eyes, she saw surprise and immense pain in the stormy orbs which normally were emotionless.

They stood there for an eternity, or a second, staring at each other, looking into each other's souls. nothing existed past them, yet, everything that did not exist seemed to make the other more real. Squall took a tentative step towards Rinoa, raising his hand slightly. Rinoa's eyes flooded with tears as she backed away from him a few steps, then turn and ran. "Rinoa!" Squall's cry could be heard as she ran up the steps of the Quad. Squall watched as she ran out of sight, rooted in place, not believing what he saw.

* * *

Squall woke with a start. "Rinoa!" He sat up and looked around, not recognizing his surroundings for a moment. As everything came flooding back to him, he fell back on the pillow and covered his eyes. _That dream seemed so real._ It was almost like she was really there. Her features were even more well defined than that poster he saw less than a week ago. He groaned and rolled out of bed. Inside the bathroom, he splashed water on his face, trying to shake the image of Rinoa horrified at him. Looking up, he stared into his face and saw stress marks on his face. He wiped off his face with a towel and turned his attention to the beard forming on his face. He hadn't shaved in a few days, and it was starting to grow out. He reached for his razor, but stopped when a knock sounded on his door.

Squall opened the door to find a positively beaming Zell staring back at him. "What do you want?"

Zell smiled "Hey man, you sleep good?"

"...Whatever"

Zell snickered "Well, just wanted you to know that I tested Natalie. She is pretty damn good" Zell worked his jaw and rubbed a bruise that Squall noticed only then. "She passes the requirements with flying colors. She could take a field test tomorrow!"

Squall narrowed his eyes. "How did you test her so quickly?"

Zell rubbed the back of his head with his right hand "Uh... Squall.... I have been testing her for 5 hours."

Squall stared blankly at Zell "5 hours?! what time is it?"

Zell continued to rub his head. "Uh... Squall.. its half past noon."

Squall stared dumbfounded. 1_2:30?! I've never slept past 8 before in my life! Except the day after my birthday after Rinoa and I...._. Squall shook his head banishing those thoughts. His dream was still fresh on his mind, and it disturbed him greatly. Squall rubbed his eyes and ran his hand down his face, over his slightly grown beard. "I'll be out in a minute"

Squall closed the door and stepped back into the bathroom. Staring at his shaver, he dismissed it. _Not enough time, I need to get to work. _He turned on the flow of cold water and splashed some on his face, before going for his toothbrush. Five minutes later he was dressed and stepped out of his room.

All three of his companions were standing outside waiting for him. Irvine smirked and winked at him "Have a good night Squall?"

Squall leaned against his now closed door and stared at the floor "........."

Zell slapped him on the shoulder "Come on man, you never sleep in! you must have had a really nice dream to keep you in bed all that time!"

Squall turned his gaze to the right and put his hand on his waist "............"

The other two SeeDs sighed and Zell threw his hands up in the air in defeat. Natalie smirked at the exchange but kept silent for another moment. "Lets get some lunch, I know this very nice cafe only a few blocks away. Its a nice day for a walk."

Irvine agreed, as did Zell. All three turned to Squall, who eyed them uncomfortably for a moment before responding himself "...Whatever"

Five minutes later, they were outside in the fresh air walking away from the hotel. Squall decided to occupy his mind with his friend's conversation, though he made sure to not look like he was paying attention and certainly did not enter the conversation. His dream last night was disturbing to say the least. _The second dream I've had in the past week that seemed more real than some parts of my life. Am I going crazy?_

This thought hung in the air as he looked up and stopped cold in his tracks. In front of him, was a grass covered hill with a white brick path that screamed for recognition, though he had no idea from where. The image danced in his mind for eons and seconds while he tried to recall where he saw this. A hand on his shoulder brought him back to reality with a jump.

Natalie looked into his eyes, a frown etched on her face. "You alright?"

Squall did not answer her, instead looking back at the hill. Natalie followed his gaze. "If you want, we can go this way, its only like five minutes longer, and is much more scenic. This is one of Galbadia City's most prized places."

With a nod, Squall stepped onto the white brick path, his companions close behind. the trek was only just beginning when he came to the top and stopped dead in his tracks. _I HAVE seen this before! My first dream!_ Laid out in front of him was the park from a few nights ago. the path continued onwards, but right there, less than 50 feet away was the bench, with the oak tree behind it. Surrounding it were flowers which this time around he instantly recognized.

Slowly, Squall approached the tree, marveling how like his dream it was, and how it was like the oak tree that Rinoa and he planted 3 years ago. At about 20 feet away, he noticed a woman with black hair, wearing a tee shirt with an angel on the back, and a white skirt standing in front of the tree, looking at the tree in the same manner as Rinoa had in his dream and had her back towards him. Squall's heart leapt and he quickly approached the woman, grabbing her by the arm and spinning her around.

His heart fell into his stomach.

The woman was not Rinoa, not anywhere close. Her face contorted in rage, and Squall backed off, muttering apologies to her before walking away. He rejoined his friends while covering his face with his hand. "What was that about?"

Squall looked up at Zell through his fingers, his death glare showing through clearly. "Lets just get to the cafe."

* * *

Squall sat in a round booth approximately midway from the stage, with his back turned to the stage. Irvine and Zell sat at the booth as well, with Irvine facing the stair case across the room from him and Zell facing the stage. All three held various drinks in their hands, taking sips from them at regular intervals. Squall checked his watch in annoyance, noting that the performance would be starting very soon. He was getting tired of sitting here, wishing that he were back in the Training Center or at least sleeping.

Squall paid little attention to the conversation that Zell and Irvine were having, being content to watch the patrons come in and seat themselves. He scanned them for any signs of weapons under their clothes, keeping a mental file on which people he thought were dangerous. It took a few minutes to process the fact that Irvine and Zell had stopped speaking and were looking at him. He turned irritably back towards his companions. "What?"

Irvine and Zell looked at each other for a moment before Irvine spoke. "Listen, man. I know you were wantin' to be left alone regarding Rinoa, but after the incident earlier today, I reckon I should ask you again. When are you going to move on? Its been three years. She is avoiding you, or else we would have heard SOMETHING about her by now."

Squall covered his face praying to Hyne that they would drop the subject. Unfortunately, Zell decided to put in his two cents "Yea, man. You cant let the fact she ditched you keep eating at you. You need to move on and open up again. Were your friends, we will not leave you flying in the breeze."

Squall's eyes slowly came out of his hand in a death glare "You think that I am just going to go on like she never existed? She left me. Everybody leaves, it eventually happens. Every time you open yourself, you will get hurt. Its better that you just...."

Before Squall could continue, Applause erupted in the room as several patrons stood to stand. Squall presumed that Natalie and her partner were walking onto the stage now. Irvine continued over the noise of the applause. "Look, Squall. You cant keep everything buried inside yourself like this. Its bad for your mental health to keep this buried inside. Your either going to explode or go insane if you don't..."

Zell hit Irvine on the arm hard. Irvine turned his attention to Zell, annoyance written on his face "What...." Irvine saw Zell's face, one of total shock, staring at the stage. Irvine looked to see what had him so shocked.... and his mouth dropped. "...the hell?!"

Irvine half stood in his seat gaping at the stage for a moment before he was able to speak. "Squall..."

Squall, annoyed by his friend's earlier lecture, was not watching their reaction, and was oblivious to his sudden change in demeanor "Irvine I don't care about whether or not I loose..."

Irvine cut him off "No, Squall... Look!" He had sit down, but his eyes were still glued to the stage, and he was pointing a finger at it.

Squall sighed "Irvine, I told you, I don't care about..."

The music started, cutting Squall off as the crowd quickly died down and returned to their seats. Natalie's partner began singing, and Squall recognized the voice faster than a flash of lightning.

And his heart stopped.

Author's notes: I'm sorry about the wait guys, I just finished moving back to college. Things are gonna be a tad sketchy while I start classes, dunno about how much time on gonna have to devote to this... esp class time lol. Anyways here is chapter 7, and chapter 8 will follow shortly, but ill probably have to pause after that... and besides... the end of 8 is a good place to stop... you'll see


	9. Chapter 8

Rinoa was annoyed. As she walked onto the stage, they had not even announced her before the crowd erupted in applause. She did not feel up to even looking at the crowd as she walked onto the stage. She kept her head bowed and picked up her microphone from the stand. Natalie looked to her for instructions. Rinoa paused a minute hoping vainly that they would stop applauding, but then she nodded, giving Natalie permission to begin.

Natalie began to play the piano, and the boisterous crowd finally died down and began taking their seats. Rinoa began to sing, but could not muster the will to bring her eyes up from the floor, partly because of the crowd's smothering attention on her and her friend, but also because of the pain in her heart that her song invoked.

_You were once my one companion_

_You were all that mattered_

_You were once, a friend and lover_

_Then my world was shattered_

Rinoa's mind wandered to Squall. She wished he could hear her. After the dreams she had been having the past week, she had come to miss him even more. It seemed almost like she could turn and he would be standing behind her. Her she continued to sing her words in a mournful, but hopeful tone

_Wishing you were some how here again_

_Wishing you were some how near_

_Sometimes it seemed if I just dreamed_

_Somehow you would be here_

_Wishing I could hear your voice again_

_Knowing that I never would_

_Dreaming of you won't help me to do_

_All that you dreamed I could_

Rinoa finally worked up the courage to look her audience in the face. She brought her head up and started scanning the crowd, starting at the stair case. As she sung, she recognized several people. All of them young men that her father had introduced to her, and all of them practically drooling over either her or Natalie, or perhaps both. She looked past them.

_Three long years I've wept in silence_

_Held your memory near me_

_Three long years of murmured sorrows_

_Willing you to hear _– ahh!

Rinoa's last word was replaced by an audible gasp. In the opposite side of the lounge was a well-built blond with his hair spiked in the front. Zell! Next to him was a man in a cowboy hat. Irvine! Next to him, half standing was... _Oh Great Hyne..._

Rinoa's heart stopped.

* * *

Natalie snapped her head up from her music. Rinoa's last word had come out instead as a gasp. Looking at her now, Natalie's mind forgot to continue playing the music that was in front of her. Rinoa was gaping, staring, in complete shock and looking on the verge of breaking out into tears. Natalie drew a mental line from Rinoa's eyes to....

Squall. _What does he have to do with... Oh...God..._ Realization came crashing down on Natalie like a ton of bricks and she felt her jaw drop. Squall was half standing, with a look that eerily mirrored Rinoa's, minus the look of being about to break into tears.

Natalie's mind raced, at the speed of a thundaga spell, various pieces of information falling into place and creating a picture that was both horrible and hopeful at the same time. _I thought Squall looked familiar! He was in the same pictures with Rinoa that covered the news! He is the Commander of Balamb Garden! But why is Irvine commanding this mission? Rinoa had fallen in love with someone at Balamb. She went through a lot with 5 SeeDs and Squall and Irvine's description matches Rinoa. _

New thoughts began to flash through her mind. _Great Hyne! What happened to make them split? They both said it was the others fault! Oh God, Rinoa is gonna collapse! _Natalie saw her friend's knees shaking and looking on the verge of buckling. To make things worse murmurs began to circulate through the audience, showing that they were aware of some problem, but not understanding what it was, even though only a few seconds had passed since the interruption had started.

Natalie did the only thing she could do. She picked up the music at the point she left off at. Thankfully, this was one of her solo parts, so Rinoa would have a few seconds to pick up on it. Her fingers graced the keyboard of the piano again, though somewhat louder and more forceful, with the hope that it would penetrate the fog that probably occupied Rinoa's mind at the moment. Natalie prayed to the mighty goddess Hyne for help.

* * *

Rinoa could not believe her eyes. Staring straight at her was the stormy blue eyes which she saw in her dreams, the face which she saw when she closed her eyes. His face was covered in a light beard. She marveled at how much he looked like in her dream last night.

Going from Zell to Irvine to Squall took less than a half second, but had succeeded in paralyzing her completely in her tracks. Her vision tunneled, the only thing that she could see was Squall's face stuck in an expression of shock.

Strangely, Rinoa was not as shocked as she thought she would have been in this situation. She looked at his face again, marveling again how like her dream he looked. She looked past his face into his soul, and she felt more shock to find somehow that she could see pain almost radiating off of him.

Then her own pain of their separation hit her, and snapped her out of her stupor. Her hearing returned, to find Natalie was still playing the piano, and that the other woman's solo part was quickly coming to an end. Rinoa realized this is what she had always wanted in a way: Squall finding her so she could tell him how she felt. Her music was her words, her emotions, and her lifeline. Rinoa began to sing again to him, and only him.

_Too many years fighting back tears_

_Why can't the past just die?_

Rinoa's voice trembled as she sung, but her voice was strong, passionate and, to the audience, simply beautiful.

_Wishing you were somehow here again_

_Knowing we must say good bye..._

_Try to forgive, teach me to live _

_Give me the strength to try_

_No more memories, no more silent tears_

_No more gazing across the wasted years_

_Help me say goodbye..._

Rinoa's last four words came out as barely a whisper. She knew her voice was failing, and it was taking all her will power to stay standing. She mentally forced herself to finish the song with every last ounce of strength

_Help me say good-bye!_

Her last note soared from a quiet high F and cresendoed to fill the room with her rich voice. With the conclusion of her song, Rinoa's mind went completely back to the eyes that haunted her. She stared at them, through them for an eternity. She stared for a moment, a mere second. She stared until she could no longer bear the sight of them, yet she longed for more. Finally one thought, one mere word, or suggestion, penetrated her mind. _Run!_ Her brain spent a moment to contemplate the command. When it had finished processing it, she ran.

Authors notes: This will be the last chapter for a short while I plan out the rest of the story in more detail, polish chapter 10, and finish chapter 11. I also went back and fixed a problem I noticed, namely my dividers weren't showing up. So now it looks cleaner and probably makes more sense go back and read if you want to. Uhh... last chapter, I had another nod to Ashbear's extreme skills as an author, for those who caught it bravo.

The song is Andrew Lloyd Webber's Wishing You Were Somehow Here from Phantom of the Opera. Expect more ALW songs... I love him, he is one of my favorite composers. I had to edit a few words in the song to make it flow with the story. My extreme apologies to ALW and the Really Useful Group©

Lastly, a personal note: This is the first chapter written. It was the idea that started this whole story. It was from this one scene that this entire story evolved I like it the best so far, and I think that there is only one chapter in the future (it is already written) that I like as much as this one (I cant tell which one I like better until I finish the story) The other chapter is the second chapter I wrote, and accordingly shaped the story as well.


	10. Chapter 9

Squall half stood frozen in place as Rinoa started to sing again. Her eyes locked on his, it seemed like her words were directed solely at him, to him, through him, and into his heart and soul. Her words only half registered, but their passion and pain cut his heart into pieces. He knew somehow that he was the cause of her pain. What he did not know, what his heart ached to know and understand, was how he had caused it.

He remained in his frozen state, staring, absorbing the chocolate colored eyes that stared back at him, with fear and pain quivering through them. He absorbed her face, the delicate, almost porcelain vision he had come to adore. Her hair still had its light brown highlights over jet-black, and still fell past her shoulders.

A din of noise cut through his thoughts, and he realized people were applauding. This realization broke his paralysis and let him stand straight up. He never took his eyes off her, but before he could do anything further, she suddenly started backing up and ran off the stage. Murmurs from the crowd began to rise, and Natalie was close after her.

A hand laid itself on Squall's shoulder. He turned to see Irvine standing next to him. "At least we know where she is now."

Squall did not respond as he turned back towards the back of the stage where the two women had disappeared into. _Yea, now all we need to know is why. _Squall's stomach churned at this. _It is my fault, that much is for sure. I need to know. _With that Squall started towards the stage, his two friends close behind.

* * *

Rinoa raced out the back door of the hotel and randomly ran in a direction on the sidewalk. She did not care that the night was cold, or that she was wearing a formal dress with high-heels. She just had to get away, as fast a possible

Her mind was swirling with thoughts. At first, the shock left her thinking only about his features. His face had grown more angular, more adult-like, and she could not say she did not like it. _His beard would have to go though; I hate the feeling of kissing it. _Rinoa stopped cold. _Where did THAT come from?_ She shook her head and continued onwards. Squall did grow a beard once, when Rinoa had hidden his razor as a practical joke. Squall had just tried to institute a rule of no facial hair for SeeDs and even Rinoa had to wonder what Squall was thinking. Everyone had felt, including Cid, that it was a personal preference that should not be looked at. Rinoa had pushed him and he finally admitted that he thought it looked less military. So Rinoa had hidden his razor and watch Squall fluster around when he grew the very beard that he should not have had, and ended up being the first person to do KP duty because of his new rule. He rescinded the rule, and Rinoa promptly returned his razor. Squall refused to speak to her for three days. She remembered that the prickly feeling of the hair on his face made her shudder.

Rinoa snickered at this memory despite how flustered she was. Her mind turned back to the image burned in her skull. His face wore a look of complete shock, meaning he had been as surprised to see her as she was to see him, perhaps even more so, considering Squall was the master of emotional control. Rinoa felt slightly better at this. _At least he wasn't in there looking for me. _Rinoa saw the hurt in his eyes and wondered if he was remorseful for all the hurt he had done to her.

It then occurred to her that he looked exactly like he had in her dream the night before. Take away the beard; he would probably look like the image she saw in her dream a few nights ago. _The dreams, they must have been warning me that this would happen. _Rinoa shook her head. She was in too much shock to think about that logically right now.

When Rinoa tripped, she finally came back into the real world and realized where she had blindly gone. She was in the park close by. She had blindly run to the only oak tree in the park. She slowly lowered herself onto the ground and picked one of the many flowers she had planted around it. They were the same species as the ones at Edea's orphanage, her silent reminder of the good times she had with Squall. The scent of the flowers touched her nose and left her wanting more. She brought it to her nose and inhaled the scent deeply.

Footsteps broke her from the simple beauty of the scent. She turned her head and saw Natalie sitting down next to her. She wore a light blue dress, with a V-neckline and elbow length sleeves. Below her waist, the garment slowly faded to midnight blue, achieving this color half way down the Victorian-style skirt that went to her ankles. A cream colored sash completed her dress. It was elegant and hid most of her features unlike Rinoa's blue dress which hugged her features quite closely.

Natalie smiled slightly and took Rinoa into a hug. Rinoa did not fight the embrace, and before she knew it, she was leaning into her shoulder crying. "He was there" Rinoa's sob-broken voice was barely a whisper.

Natalie gently stroked Rinoa's hair as she spoke, "I'm sorry, it's my fault they are here."

Rinoa sat up and looked at Natalie with a confused look. "How could it be your fault? I don't understand..."

Natalie sighed, "My father hired them as my bodyguards, someone has been threatening to kidnap me."

Rinoa looked thoughtful for a moment before replying, "Well, I understand the need for protection, but I don't think I can be around him. It's just too painful."

Natalie looked sadly at her friend. "Well I don't see any way to avoid it, Rin. He will be around a lot since they are guarding me."

Rinoa closed her eyes for a moment, "Then maybe we should stop performing until the threat has been taken care of."

"Rin, there's now way to know how long that will be. This could go on for weeks, or months even. We'll lose our jobs if we do that."

Rinoa gave a half-hearted laugh at that remark. "Natalie, we both know you don't NEED a job. Your father is the wealthiest and most successful business man in Galbadia."

"Yeah, and you're the President's daughter," Natalie retorted. "You don't need the money anymore than I do."

"That's different, Natalie."

"Really? How so?"

"I don't want anything to do with my father or his money or his title."

Natalie shook her head at Rinoa, "I don't want to be dependent on my father's wealth any more than you do, Rin. If we stop performing, that's exactly what will happen." She paused for a moment before continuing, "And whether you want to hear this or not, eventually you two are gonna have to face Squall and settle things between you one way or another. You've been practically calling to him with your songs anyway."

Rinoa wiped a few tears from her cheeks before speaking. "I just don't think I can face him, Natalie. Not right now, maybe not ever. Seeing him tonight hurt so much..."

"Then will you at least explain what I did to make you leave?"

Rinoa jumped at the voice and stood up quickly turning around. Squall was standing no more than five feet away. His face was his normal emotionless mask, but Rinoa could read dozens of emotions through his eyes, emotions which she never saw before. A bit further back behind him stood Irvine and Zell. Irvine's face was unreadable from this distance, but Zell's clearly had surprise and a hint of gladness. Rinoa mused that he most likely was happy to see his long missing friend and hoped that lion and angel would be reunited happily. _Vain hope, but hope still. _

Rinoa's attention went back to Squall and centered. She was able to get a much better look at him now that he was much closer. Before it seemed like a dream, or a hallucination or maybe a vision, but now she could see him in the flesh, and details were a lot sharper. For one, his body was more built. The changes to his face from growing up were sharper now. He appeared exactly like he had in her dreams, at least the two she had recently that were almost vision like.

Squall noticed several changes to Rinoa too, ones that he had been in too much shock before to register. Her body's curves were more defined and her hair a touch longer. Her shimmering dark blue dress hugged her features, and somehow made her appear more seductive. He had seen her in shorter dresses, most notably the graduation ceremony, but this one was different.

Neither estranged lover could find their voice for minutes as they examined each other. None of the bystanders dared interrupt the strange reunion. Zell and Irvine were both thinking that Squall would split them in half with his gunblade if they tried to. Natalie on the other hand did not interrupt because the confusion and mind racing thoughts she had when Rinoa had first noticed Squall in the club were rushing through her head again, trying to analyze and find a picture of truth between the two widely disparaging stories that she had been told.

Rinoa's eyes were almost shimmering in tears, and she brought her hand to her necklace, grasping her mother's ring. Squall noted with a certain amount of sorrow that his Griever ring was noticeably absent from the necklace. Rinoa finally found the voice to utter a single syllable, in a shaky, almost inaudible voice, but it was enough. "Squall?"

Neither of the two knew exactly who started it. One moment they were staring at each other, the next second they were flying into each other's arms. Zell noted with a certain amount of pleasure that it was highly reminiscent of when Squall had saved Rinoa from being frozen in the Sorceress Memorial.

The two stayed locked in their embrace for an eternity. Nothing penetrated their reunion. The world could have imploded around them and their minds would not have registered it. Squall's gloved right hand ran through Rinoa's hair. His lips chanted her name softly over and over. Rinoa's arms hugged his jacket tightly, and her face was buried in the fluff of the collar, tears streaming readily out.

One eternity, one mere tick of the clock, one lifetime, one second passed. Then a second, and a third. Nothing moved, nothing stirred, and nothing made any sort of sound. It was as if Hyne herself had cast silence and stop on all things surrounding the two reunited lovers.

Finally, Rinoa pulled away slightly from Squall and stared into his eyes again. She couldn't help but lose herself in the stormy blue orbs that brought back so many memories. She leaned in to kiss him like so many times before, but caught herself at the last second. She stared into his eyes again and pulled him close to feel the connection to his body, heart and soul she still had and she had desired for three years. Then slowly, reluctantly, she broke off and whispered "Squall... please... don't see me again...."

She broke from his grasp and fled.

* * *

Author's notes: SORRY FOR THE DELAY!!! School hit me harder than I thought it would. Also, I had a problem planning out this story and its sequel. It appears that I don't have enough material to make the second story, so I reworked my notes to merge them into one story... looks like about 5 chapters or so. The third story has now become the second. Also, while talking with one of my beta readers, I got this great idea for a new installment after all of this, and the excitement of working out a sketch distracted me further :P. So it will be a trilogy like I wanted ;) anyways, chapter 11 is done and I'm working in chapter 12. Once my plans for this installment are finalized, I'll start posting a bit faster.


	11. Chapter 10

Squall continued to stare out his window. Clouds had moved in and blanketed Galbadia City and, strangely, it fit his mood, almost as if it were a Guardian Force which Squall had summoned. Lightning flashes played across the horizon, encasing the entire city in a bath of angry light. If Squall didn't know better, he would have sworn that Odin would appear at any moment, and use his legendary sword to split some monster in half.

It had been days since he had seen Rinoa for the first time in three years. Five days to be exact. Natalie refused to let any of the three SeeDs to downstairs during the practice sessions for any reason. The next performance was already coming up the day after tomorrow. Squall found himself looking forward to and dreading Friday at the time, a strange paradox, born from the strange paradox that was Rinoa's attitude towards him.

Even now, 5 days later, he still found himself totally confused. He had talked to Irvine, a purported expert in ladies' behavior, and to Natalie, who was a woman herself and was the person who had spent the most time by far with Rinoa over the last year. Neither of them was able to supply an explanation to Rinoa's behavior that could satisfy Squall's mind.

Another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, making the gate a silhouette, and lighting the now abandoned presidential palace into full glorious, decaying detail. Like the lightning bolt, Squall's mind flashed to his mission to assassinate the Sorceress Edea. Quistis had told Squall later about their trip through the sewer system of then Deling City, and how she, Selphie, and Zell had been fighting Galbadian soldiers, holding them off while Squall, Rinoa, and Irvine battled the Sorceress.

He could imagine it now, and see it so clearly in his head. Before he was concentrating solely on fighting Edea and stopping her. Now, he was the commander and had to look at the bigger picture. When Squall had been hit by the ice bolt and fell off the float, all five had turned and watched him, allowing themselves to be captured. Even Quistis, for all her control and poise that she showed to the world back then, she even lost sight of the mission and watched in horror as he fell.

Now he faced a very different battle with a sorceress. This time he was not trying to kill her, but win her heart back. And unlike when he battled Edea four years ago, he had no strategy planned out to accomplish the mission. Squall was unsettled by the fact that compared to this mission; the last mission would probably be a cakewalk. He failed that miserably, creating a bad omen in his mind.

_Feeling the burden of separation, Young Master?_

A light but firm woman's voice sounded in Squall's mind, making him frown. _Shiva, what brings you to speak?_

A light chuckle sounded in his mind. _Why do I need a reason to speak? I enjoy interacting with my junctioned human, unlike Bahamut and several of the other older guardians, and because of that, I know your trying to avoid my question._

..._Whatever_

_Listen, I have lived for thousands of years... women don't change that much... I was one at one point... and to a greater extent I'm still one... so if you have questions, feel free to ask. You are our favorites of humans for generations, and we all care about seeing that you live happily._

_I'll keep that in mind Shiva._

_Thank you, I guess._

A third lightning flash lit the sky, followed by a clap of thunder about two seconds later. That was followed almost immediately by a knock on the door. "Come in" He turned his head slightly to see Zell walking into his hotel room. He looked at him then turned back to the storm outside.

Zell came up beside Squall and stood there for a minute, his hands held loosely behind his back, in comparison to Squall, who crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You feeling alright there, man?" Zell's voice seemed hesitant and almost out of place compared to the silence punctuated by thunder that Squall had been with for the last few hours.

"...Whatever"

Zell put his hand on his longtime friends arm. "Listen, I don't know why Rinoa... uhm..." Zell hesitated for a moment. "I'm sorry; I don't know what to say"

Squall turned his head to his friend. His lip twitched into a slight smile for just a moment "It's alright, Zell, I understand."

Zell grinned broadly "Thanks, man" His grin faded... but not completely. "Natalie wants to talk to you in her room."

Squall nodded and stared for a moment longer as a sequence of lighting strikes occurred, making the evening sky almost seem like broad daylight. "Okay" The light faded and night's dark grasp took hold of the city again. The two moved out silently and crossed the hall to Natalie's room. Once inside, they saw Irvine sitting and talking to Natalie idly. Zell cleared his throat and they looked at the two newcomers. "Ah thank you, Zell" She motioned and Irvine stood and followed Zell out the door, closing it.

"Sit down please, Squall."

Squall looked at her for a moment then proceeded to the chair and sat. They looked at each other for a moment before Natalie spoke again. "I want to ask you straight up. Rinoa thinks that you were cheating on her. I do not care either way if you did, and if you didn't, I don't care either. She will not find out either way from me. This is important and I just need the honest truth. Did you?"

Squall's face clouded over. "I would never cheat on her. I've kept that even after she left me. How could she...."

Natalie held up a hand "I don't know how, but from what I gather, you didn't know and you deserved to. This was important because I was going to ask Rinoa to accompany us to dinner. I think that possibly you should be the one to ask."

A quiet alarm went off in Squall's mind. Shiva's voice echoed those concerns_. That might be a bad idea... she doesn't know that Rinoa is a sorceress. Things are a lot more touchy than normal._

_That's my thought exactly Shiva._

"Are you sure that's a wise idea? I mean, I do know her; she might take that pretty poorly. Maybe you should ask her."

Natalie waved her hand again "Nonsense" she smiled at him. "Trust me, it will be fine, she might not accept, but she will not hurt you or anything."

Squall frowned but stayed silent. Natalie sighed "If you want ill be there too, but I doubt anything bad will happen"

Squall rubbed his chin. _What do you think Shiva?_

_That probably will be better... I still am not sure if you should be going to talk to her so quickly, but it needs to happen eventually._

Squall nodded "Very well then, let's go"

* * *

The four youths assembled outside of Rinoa's door standing and staring like it was a demon that was getting ready to eat them. In all likelihood, that was pretty close to the truth. Natalie looked at Squall, who shook his head, and then at Zell, who waved his hands in the air. Just as she turned to Irvine, the cowboy reached up and lowered his hat, blocking eye contact with her and signaling in his own way that he was not going to knock. Finally, Natalie shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Braver of the two sexes indeed" 

She knocked on the door just as she heard Irvine quip back "yea, but we also know when its suicide to do something" Natalie shook her head and waited. Finally the door opened to reveal a tired and haggard Rinoa. Her eyes slowly and stared at Natalie sleepily, then widened her eyes in horror as she saw her three companions, accompanied by a gasp. She immediately tried to close the door, but Natalie stopped her and pushed the door back open.

Rinoa was panicking. She had already backed herself into the far corner of the room away from the four, and had curled into a fetal position. Her voice was hoarse and shrill as she spoke. "Natalie, what is he doing here?"

Natalie moved to try to comfort Rinoa, but a flash in her eyes made her stop. _Did I just imagine that? It looked like her pupils turned gold for a moment._ Natalie backed off a step and slowly raised her hands in a sign of friendship. "Rinoa we're only here to see if you want some dinner, nothing more. We want... no _I _want you to interact a bit more and no matter what, these are your friends. "

Rinoa's head shook back and forth rapidly. "No," she whispered, "Please... go."

Squall looked at Rinoa for a moment with desire deep within his soul. It pushed him to speak up, something which he certainly was not good at and something which he certainly did not plan to do while he was here. "Rinoa, please, were not asking anything besides you come to dinner with us. I..." Squall remembered something that Rinoa said right before she left. "... I would appreciate it if you would spend some time with me."

Rinoa looked up at him. Recognition filled her eyes and Squall knew that she connected those words to three years ago. Rinoa looked at him with tears threatening to still over. She seemed ready to acquiesce and go with them, but then she looked down and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can't"

Natalie stepped forward "Rinoa, please, just come with us and try to have fun. I know you and Squall..." Natalie stopped cold. Rinoa had looked up with anger gleaming in her eyes. Except her eyes were not the soft chocolate brown eyes that he knew, the ones he had seen love and caring in three years ago. They had turned an angry, violent gold and were staring with vitriol at Squall.

Shiva's voice quickly arose with concern. _Master, the sorceress is not stable!_

Squall's mind almost shouted back at her. _THANK you for the observation!_

Shiva snapped back at him. _Don't take that tone with me human. Get out of there before she looses control!_

Natalie saw this also, and gasped, covering her mouth and taking a step back in shock. _I didn't imagine it before! What the hell is that?! _She looked to Irvine and Zell who both had looks of horror mixed with worry written on their faces. Natalie turned back to her music partner just in time for her to start yelling. "Squall get out! Get out of here now!" Her voice turned shrill as she continued to yell and her hair started to frizz slightly.

Squall could see the power radiating off Rinoa. He had no idea that others could not, but even if he did, he would not care about that. He knew that her sorceress powers, never really fully controlled were getting the better of her now. He also knew she had been without her knight for three years. The stakes were now a lot higher and deadlier and he needed to calm her down fast. "Rinoa, just... please... calm down okay? We are going to leave, but you need to..."

Squall never finished his sentence as Rinoa raised her hand. _DAMN! _Squall rushed to erect a Shell spell to protect him but was only partially successful before an orange fireball appeared in her hand and rushed at him. Squall was knocked back stunned. Her powers were much stronger since last time she had cast something in his presence. _Shiva! Help! I need..._

Squall's mental cry for help was cut off as he was hit by a literal whirlwind which knocked him off balance and then an invisible hand which knocked him backwards almost unimaginably quickly. Before he could have another conscious thought, he slammed head first into the wall behind him and stars exploded in front of his eyes before darkness took him.

Irvine was as shocked as anybody else in the room as the first fireball flew from Rinoa's hand. By the second Aero spell he was running towards Squall and casting his own protect spell. He felt it course to life in front of him completely as he shouted for Zell to get Natalie out of the room.

Zell for his part once Irvine shouted his order was in motion immediately. He was a trained SeeD and he had trained to unfreeze his mind in dire situations. He was forward casting his own Shell spell and grabbed Natalie, pulling her behind him. Just in time too, for a Thundaga spell more powerful than he had ever felt slammed into his shield and almost knocked him off his feet. The feedback in his mind from the damage whitened his vision for a split second, but that was enough to stop him completely.

Natalie stood in total shock at the events, but when Zell grabbed her arm, it snapped her partly out of her daze. She grabbed Zell and pulled her out the door as he recovered from the hit. Whether by luck or misfortune, Rinoa's assaults did not seek Zell again, instead concentrating on Irvine. The air grew cold as Rinoa raise her hand again, and light tendrils of frost flowed from her hand to his feet, then jagged ice shards flew up from the ground and straight at him, smashing into his shield and knocking him against the wall with the sheer force of the attack. Irvine was up again almost instantly and grabbed Squall with one hand while using his other hand held in front of him to help him concentrate on keeping the shield.

Suddenly, the room darkened, and a large bubble appeared while flashing painfully bright colors all around in his eyes marking the cast of an Ultima spell. Every nerve ending in Irvine's body flared with pain, indicating the attack was not blocked completely. He staggered back from the blow and felt his shield slipping. Irvine knew he was finished. One more spell and his shield was gone. He was not long in waiting, as another Thundaga hit him. Irvine winced, waiting for the end.

It came in a very unexpected way. Irvine felt an arm wrap around his neck and pull him, and the tell-tell feel of another Shell spell. The next attack, another Fire spell, hit the defensive spell and was absorbed as Irvine collected himself and quickly dragged Squall out the door. He found his savoir to be Zell, who had safely gotten Natalie away, then come back for him, and now was shutting the door as a thump was heard on it.

The three retreated into the elevator, carrying a still unconscious Squall with them and the door shut and headed down to the 10th floor. No one spoke until they were all back inside their defense cordon and in Natalie's Room. Irvine cast a cure spell on Squall, and as the blue lights flickered around his body, Natalie's mind returned and she blew up. "What the HELL was that?! What the HELL just happened?!"

Zell was first to answer. "Natalie, just calm down, okay? That was nothing you need to know about."

Natalie's jaw dropped "'Nothing I need to know about'?! Rinoa just attacked us using magic!"

Irvine finally entered the conversation. "Okay, Natalie, you want to know? Here it is. Rinoa is a sorceress." Silence pervaded in the room as Natalie's face flickered with emotion.

"A Sorceress?"

Irvine nodded. "Apparently, an unstable one at that. "

Natalie looked to Squall. "And her knight..."

Irvine nodded. "Yes, Squall is her knight, and she just attacked him. She is showing signs of loosing control. We might have to..." He stopped as a lump formed in his mouth.

Natalie's face grew in horror. "No... she is your friend!"

Now it was Irvine's time to blow up. "You think I don't know that?! But our comfort is nothing compared to if another rogue sorceress comes around and starts a third war! As SeeD's our overriding duty is to watch for sorceresses who are succumbing to their powers. It supersedes all other things, including our current mission. If we can't get control of her, we will have to terminate her."

* * *

Authors notes: this chapter had to be edited for language unfortunately, because i chose PG-13 and want to keep that. Those spells were hard to bring into story form, especially shell, since it doesnt actually stop all damage in the game. I see that damage as feedback of magic hitting magic in the shell caster's mind. Also, I added a Telekenesys spell for Rinoa, thats how she shoved Squall into the wall. More story comming ASAP.

To my reviewers: I thank you all for reviewing my story. Im glad to see some people reviewing regularly, that makes me feel good that people are following the story and encourages me to keep writing (for when my beta readers' stranglings arent working)

DreamCherry66: sleep and read my story at more normal times lol

lady-rinoa and Dive to Blue: I think that you should just wait and read... i might not do either ;)  
also, i am not creative enough to come up with names for each chapter. making the name of this story was alot of brain hurt already. For the next story, since it is going to be more action oriented, i will have quotes from various books that add flavor to it.

Lastly, it is confirmed, this story is going to stretch to about 20 chapters, and encompass the second story i was planning into it. the above mentioned story was going to be the third one, and will be moved (obviously) to the #2 spot.


	12. Chapter 11

Squall's mind slowly weaved around in a state of half consciousness. He did not know what happened, but he felt like he had been run over by a Ruby Dragon with a bad tooth ache. As full consciousness began to finally take hold, memories started to slowly pop back to him. The first of seeing Rinoa on the stage, then her telling him not to see her. Finally he remembered her sitting on the ground, her eyes flashing gold and...

Squall jolted upwards at that memory, "Rinoa!"

Squall immediately felt a pair of hands roughly shove him back into a lying position, and he felt surprisingly weak and unable to prevent it. He looked up and into the eyes of his restrainer. Irvine stared him down with eyes almost burning with a fury of his own. The normally happy go lucky and lopsidedly smiling cowboy's face had a frown and a stare which eerily mirrored what his own face normally wore. "Stay down before you loose whatever is in your stomach," the cowboy said.

Squall lay back as he felt a wave of dizziness hit him. Irvine was right of course; getting fried by magic then being cured by it overloaded your system and could cause dizziness, nausea, and other, sometimes more severe side effects. Squall forced his eyes to open and focused on one point of the ceiling, and soon enough, the room stopped spinning quite so much and he was ready to sit up much more slowly this time.

Looking around, he did not recognize where he was, until he saw Natalie and Zell sitting at a table with worry written on their faces. _I'm in Natalie's room. _

_That you are, young Master. _Shiva's normally playful and sublime voice was riddled with concern and a touch of fear even. He had never heard a guardian sounding quite as afraid as Shiva seemed at the moment.

_Shiva, what's wrong? What happened? _

Instead of answering by voice, Squall's mind was suddenly bombarded by images almost imperceptibly fast. His world spun again, and he collapsed back down onto the pillow. "Shiva stop!" Squall held his hands on his head in pain.

Irvine's voice cut through the din as the images stopped. "Shiva's talking to you?"

Squall groaned in pain. "Yea, and showing me something, I can't tell what though."

Squall sat up again much more slowly. _My apologies Master, I did not intend to show you quite so quickly. _

Zell interrupted any reply Squall would have made. "Wait, you talk with Shiva? So THAT'S what you are doing when you start all that thinking, eh? Hitting on a Guardian, too?"

Squall frowned and stared daggers at Zell, who's face had blossomed into a grin. When he saw Squall's look however his grin quickly lost confidence and he turned away. "Sooo... Natalie... uhh nice weather today don't you think?"

Natalie's answer did not come immediately; she had a look of confusion on her face. "I suppose..." She paused as Irvine broke down in laugher, collapsing as his legs failed. Natalie's look of confusion turned incredulous. "Mind explaining that one to me?"

Squall shook his head and stood up, covering his face with his hand as Irvine continued to laugh. Making it worse, he could hear Shiva's light and frosty laughter resonating in his mind as well, super imposed on another deeper laugh which he could only assume was Bahamut. _Great now I'm the laughing stock of the Guardians. _

This only made Shiva's laughter harder as Irvine's finally subsided. Deciding to ignore Shiva for the moment he answered Natalie's question gruffly. "We are currently junctioned to Guardian Forces, borrowing on their powers to give us strength and the ability to cast high powered magic. It also happens that when they desire, they will talk to their junctioned human. Shiva is... an eccentric guardian to say the least. " He heard Shiva's laughter suddenly stop and it seemed like the temperature in the room had lowered by 5 degrees.

Natalie's expression plainly showed that she thought them only slightly better than completely insane. "I see..."

Irvine had regained his composure – just barely – by this time and quickly his face turned serious and back to the task at hand. Squall could only marvel at this ability Irvine had acquired since becoming a SeeD after their fight 4 years ago. He could be the flirtatious, dirty minded cowboy one second, and then like a light, switch to a serious, cold and calculating image that rivaled even Squall's sternness.

This got both of the other SeeDs' attention, and with a small nod of his head, Irvine had signaled Zell to distract Natalie, who was oblivious to the change. Zell engaged her with some idle talk about the Guardian Forces in general, and Shiva in particular. Squall paid little attention to it, but did catch an off hand comment by Zell "Compared to Squall, Ice Guardian could seem like a warm ray of sunshine." Squall kept his attention on Irvine, and very soon, Irvine signaled him in sign language. _Leave the room and provide an excuse for me to go with you. _

Squall thought for a moment, and then interrupted the idle chatter that the blondes were engaging in. "I am going to go to my room and clean up. Irvine, I think you need to come with me. One more Cure spell might be needed. " The two blondes nodded and Squall proceeded out of Natalie's room quickly, Irvine following closely. However, neither spoke until they were in Squall's room and the door was shut.

Irvine naturally started first. "Squall, how much do you remember?"

Squall turned his head and stared to his side as he considered. "I remember Rinoa getting angry and attacking us, then stars."

Irvine nodded. "I didn't think you hit the wall hard enough to give you a concussion, but I could have been wrong." The cowboy paused for a moment. "Squall, she's not herself." Squall did not need to ask who 'she' was. "If I were to make a guess, she has been torn apart by leaving for the last three years, on top of that having her connection to her knight pretty much ripped apart. I don't know how the storied Knights of the Centran Empire could stay in full contact with their sorceresses, but you two lost your connection almost immediately. She has been knightless for three years and suffered severe emotional trauma. I would not be surprised if she is starting to loose control of her powers. That show of force certainly doesn't help her case. "

Squall looked up at Irvine "What are you saying? That we kill her?! That we kill one of us?!" Anger had flared into Squall's eyes at the thought of this.

Irvine grabbed his shoulders and shoved him against the wall. "Listen, Squall. I'm not any happier than you at the prospect of killing her. Hell the six of us went through the gates of hell together. But we can't ignore that she might be loosing control of her powers and herself. We need to watch her. This takes precedence over our mission to defend Natalie. "

Squall stared into Irvine's eyes with more rage and anger than Irvine had seen Squall show in 3 years. Irvine also saw the battle within his mind and soul between defending Rinoa and protecting the world. Squall knew that if Rinoa lost her mind, he might have to kill her himself.

"_What will become of me?" _

_Rinoa stared at her feet with her hands behind her back and moved her left foot along the ground and kicked some pebbles on the stones. Squall waves his hand "Don't worry about it. There've been many good sorceresses. Edea was one. You can be like her. "_

_Rinoa did not look up "But Edea's still..." Rinoa trailed off a moment. "I can't guarantee anything, either, if Ultimecia possesses me again..."_

_Rinoa finally looked up and stood straight, though she could not bring her eyes off the ground. "You saw me. She controlled me in outer space and made me break Adel's seal. " She reached down and took hold of the two rings around her neck "What might happen next time? What will I end up doing?"_

_She paused as a horrifying thought set into her mind. "Will I end up fighting everyone? ... Scary thought, isn't it?"_

_Squall turned away from Rinoa, and fell into deep thought, his hand on his waist. _Rinoa... Even if you end up as the world's enemy, I'll...I'll be your knight.

_Rinoa picked up the two rings around her neck and examined them in her hand. "If I fall under Ultimecia's control again... SeeD will come and kill me, right? And the leader of SeeD is you, Squall..." She paused as a tear fell down her cheek. "Squall's sword will pierce my heart..."_

_She looked up and stared at his back. I guess it's okay if it's you, Squall. Nobody else. " Her voice turned more pleading. "Squall, if that ever happens..."_

_Squall viciously turned, cutting her off with his words. "That's enough! I'll never do anything like that. The sorceress I'm after is not you, Rinoa. My enemy is the sorceress from the future... Ultimecia. "_

_Rinoa clasped her hands behind her back and bent forward in her now classic manner. "Ultimecia lives in the future and possesses me. She uses my body as her extension in this world. How... How will you save me?"_

_Squall's answer was slightly hesitant but immediate. "I'll come up with something... there's gotta be a way." _

_Rinoa looked down in disbelief. Squall moved slightly closer. "Don't worry. Trust me. " _

_Rinoa looked up into his stormy blue eyes with conviction. ". . . I trust you. "_

Shiva's voice arose within Squall's mind, interrupting his reminiscing of the past. _Master you must listen to him. A third Sorceress war, with Rinoa being the only sorceress left, cannot happen. Even if you do kill her, it could mean the end of the world. _

Squall shook his head, answering both Shiva and Irvine with a single word. "Enough!" Squall sighed and leaned against the wall heavily. "Irvine, remember four years ago right after we rescued Rinoa from the Sorceress Memorial?" Irvine nodded as Squall continued. "That was when I promised Rinoa that I would be waiting there in the flower fields if we ever got separated. I also promised her that I would protect her even if the entire world turned against her. She might hate me, but she is still my world, and I will not let her die. "

Irvine hung his head and stepped away from him. "I am going to have to report Rinoa's reappearance and condition to Headmaster Cid, along with your refusal to do your duty incase we need to dispose of her. "

Squall stared at his friend. "Dispose of her? After all that we went through, you still can't say the word 'murder'? Damn it, Irvine! After everything we all went through!"

Irvine spun with his own fury barely contained. "YES, Squall, I know everything that has happened! But is our peace of mind that we stuck by a friend worth the millions that could die if a third Sorceress war happens? You think I haven't though about this? If I had to kill Rinoa, the next person Exeter would turn on would be myself! I don't want to do this, and I pray to Hyne that I don't have to!"

Irvine spun and slammed his fist into the wall, creating a fist sized hole in the wall that penetrated all the way to the bathroom on the other side. Time ticked slowly on as both considered the situation and regarded each other. "You have 48 hours to rethink your position, Squall. Either way, I will need to report this to Cid at the end of that time. "

With that Irvine walked out the door and shut it. Squall stared at the closed door for fully five minutes before he could tear his eyes from it.

* * *

SORRY FOR THE DELAY!!!! Ive been going through a few tough weeks here at school, and I got the week of hell starting last Thursday... :P

I promise more after I get through midterms season!!!


	13. Chapter 12

Squall sat at the bar alone drinking. He was not sure what kind of drink this was, but it was strong, and right now he needed it. Rinoa and Natalie would be starting their Friday night performance soon, and after that, he needed to make a choice that would alter his life for ever.

_Do I betray the only place I've ever called home in my life? The man who raised me, and gave me everything I have today? Or do I betray the woman I still love even after all that has happened?_

Squall certainly did not like either of these choices and turned up his drink, swallowing hard at its bitter taste. Breathing out he felt there was still something he was missing, and slammed the glass onto the table, motioning to the bartender for another drink.

_Master. _

Shiva's cool voice ran through Squall's mind like blood. _Shiva, how thoughtful of you to decide to speak to me finally two days after you nearly sent me into a coma. _

Shiva's voice betrayed that she was not amused by Squall's sarcasm. _My apologies, Young Master, but there were issues that needed to be discussed by the Guardians. _

Squall frowned. _Two days? That's quite a long time. So what did you want to tell me before?_

Instead of speaking, Shiva flashed images into Squall's mind, at a much slower rate. Squall saw Rinoa's eyes flashing gold and striking him with magic, though the colors seemed different than he remembered, and he could actually see a magic spell being formed. Then a flash and suddenly he saw his body hurling against the wall, shoulder first.

At this picture Squall flinched slightly. _Ouch... I'm surprised I'm not in the hospital with a broken shoulder blade. _Squall saw Irvine pulling him to safety, being assaulted by more magic, then Zell rescuing him and pulling them both to safety. Finally the images stopped flashing in his head.

_That, Master, is what happened two nights ago. This worries me, because the Guardians have seen another image, which is even more disturbing. _

New images flashed in Squall mind. There were black clad men going around killing unarmed men indescrimanently. Blood flowed everywhere, and drenched the catwalks in crimson. _I know that place!_ Squall thought instantly as the horrific scenes of gruesome violence continued. _That's Esthar City! _The images panned out slightly to show great fires raging through the city, with huge explosions erupting in some buildings and starting more. Also, Squall could see many Esthar soldiers lying dead on the ground, next to civilians. There were thousands... maybe tens of thousands from the part he could see.

_The Guardians are worried as well Master. We believe that this might be an image of the future if Rinoa goes insane, but we are not sure. Rinoa is the last sorceress alive, if she dies without passing on her powers, bad things will happen. I cannot elaborate now, but please believe me. You must do everything possible to keep her sane. You are still her knight; you can still feel a connection to her and her thoughts and emotions. I can say no more. _

Squall shook his head. _Shiva wait! What do you mean, bad things will happen? What about... Shiva? When is that going to happen? Esthar was getting destroyed!_

Squall spent the next 5 minutes trying to talk to her, and when he got more desperate, to Bahamut, but to no avail. Both were as silent as if they were not junctioned, but he could still feel their presence in his mind. Flashbacks to the horrid images of the slaughter in Esthar flew through his mind. The carnage, and blood that was present disturbed even him, and suddenly his problem with Rinoa seemed less important, yet even more so, because if he did not solve it, a bloodshed on a scale which he could barely imagine would happen.

Applause erupted around him and he turned to the stage to see Rinoa and Natalie walk onto the stage. Squall found all thoughts temporarily pushed from his head as the lights dimmed in the room. Rinoa was wearing a very familiar cream white dress which did not even reach mid thigh. Instant memories of his first meeting with her assaulted him, and the small celebration they gave Squall when he became commander of Garden, days prior to their battle with Galbadia Garden. She had worn the dress on several other occasions, but those two memories were ones that seemed to almost replay themselves in his mind.

Rinoa began speaking over the applause "Ladies and Gentlemen. This song is a special one, dedicated to a very special person in my life."

Squall felt a light brush on his mind and Rinoa's focus centered straight on him. She had managed to pick him out from the back of the room with the lights dimmed. Somehow he knew she was staring straight at him. Natalie began playing, only short few broken chords of introduction before Rinoa's sweet voice filled Squall's ears and mind.

_Think of me..._

_Think of me fondly when we've said good bye_

_Remember me..._

_Every so often promise you'll try._

_On that day..._

_That not so distant day_

_When you are far away and free_

_If you ever find a moment_

_Spare a thought for me._

Rinoa stopped singing as Natalie crescendoed and played a grandiose solo, showing off her extreme skills at the keyboard as she changed keys. Squall was absolutely horrified by the piece. It was in a major mode, and sounded so happy, almost playful, yet the words were ones that cut deep into him. It was like she was saying good bye to him, and thinking it was a good thing, or the best thing she could think of.

She was keeping her focus solely on him even as he stood to move around the bar. He could not help get the feeling that Rinoa was singing this solely for his ears. She continued singing as Natalie decresendoed.

_And though it's clear..._

_Though it was always clear_

_That this was never meant to be,_

_If you happen to remember_

_Stop and think of me. _

_Think of all the things we've shard and seen..._

_Don't think about the way things might have been_

_Think of me..._

_Think of me waking silent and resigned_

_Imagine me..._

_Trying to hard to put you from my mind_

_Think of me..._

_Please say you'll think of me_

_Whatever else you choose to do_

_There will never be a day when _

_I won't think of you!_

Rinoa paused again as Natalie went solo, being even more grandiose and showy with her display of ability. Rinoa had not taken her eyes off of Squall the entire time she was on stage, and the longer she sang, the more it seemed like she was singing only to him.

_Flowers fade..._

_The fruits of summer fade_

_They have their seasons so do we_

_But please promise me that sometimes_

_You will think..._

Rinoa's voice flew high almost like a dove as the last two notes sounded on her lips.

_...of me!_

Squall stared at Rinoa with a deep seated feeling of dread as applause erupted throughout the room. One look from Irvine showed he had caught Rinoa's message too, though Zell like always seemed one step behind the game. He looked back at Rinoa, and her almost happy smile somehow seemed hollow. Squall for some reason could almost see deep pain and sadness radiating off of her as she bowed to the audience. Squall could not bear her sight anymore, and without another thought, turned and quickly walked up the stairs and out of hotel.

* * *

Hey guys just a little update. Im REALLY REALLY sorry about leaving you all hanging!!! My life has been hectic to say the least! 2 weeks of midterms ended last Friday, and since then, I had a lot of personal troubles, but they are settled now I think. On top of that, the lives of my 2 beta readers have been very hectic, one is getting married (!!!). Chapter 12 is done (FOURTH TIME IVE POSTED THIS!!!), and chapter 13 is being reworked. I already have chapter 14 planned out to the final detail, and most of chapter 15. Chapter 16-17 are already written. I hope to have a marathon over the next week and a half or so, and take a break at the end of 17. I think it's a good stopping place anyways (grin) 

Song is "Think of Me" from _Phantom of the Opera_ by Andrew Lloyd Webber. I dont own it... i wish i did... such a beautiful musical... and id be rich beyond belief and able to buy Squaresoft and make lots of FF games!

I HOPE this stays up this time... im getting annoyed at reposting this.....


	14. Chpater 13

Rinoa watched Squall storm up the stairs of the club with mixed feelings. Part of her wanted to reach out and touch him, try to comfort him, especially considering how cruel she felt she was being to him. Another part scoffed at him, almost mocking and wondering if he felt the same amount of pain that she had been for the last there years. Yet another part just wanted to jump back into his arms and pickup where they left off the day before she left Garden, while another part wished she had never hired Garden or that it was not Squall who was sent on the mission.

_It's strange_, Rinoa mused. _Even though it was dark and I couldn't see the audience, I could somehow sense where he was, almost like he was highlighted for me. _Even after his departure, his anger still bubbled through the room and she could almost taste it. It was almost like she was feeling it herself. The feeling refused to go away after almost half a minute and Rinoa sighed, and turned to Natalie, nodding at her to begin the next song.

_Been a fool, been a clown_

_Lost my way from up and down_

_And I know... yes I know..._

_And I see it in your eyes_

_That you really weren't surprised at me at all_

_Not at all..._

_And I know by your smile it's you._

Rinoa slowly looked around the audience, barely picking out Irvine's cowboy hat sticking up through the crowd. She could not make out his face, or tell what he was feeling, nor could she get any reading from the person sitting next to him, which she assumed was Zell. In fact, she could not even be sure it was Zell there, but Squall's feelings still bubbled around her, somehow. She took these feelings and put more soul into her words, hoping he could still hear them.

_Don't care for me, don't cry_

_Let's say goodbye, Adieu._

_It's time to say goodbye, I know that in time_

_It will just fade away, it's time to say goodbye._

_I stand alone, and watch you fade away like clouds_

_High up and in the sky_

_I'm strong and so cold_

_As I stand alone_

_Goodbye, So long, Adieu.

* * *

_

Squall listened from the hotel lobby as Rinoa's voice echoed up the stairwell and filled the room with her rich voice. If it was possible Squall was even more disheartened by this song. The lyrics again told him that somewhere down inside her, Rinoa still loved him and still felt that love deeply, but something had happened that had made her decide, rather violently, to leave him. The fact she was saying good bye to him, knowing he was listening, yet still keeping the song sweet, mellow, and almost happy was almost as heart wrenching as the day she left. He lived through the pain once, but it left him a hollow shell of a man. I didn't know if he could live through it again.

_Oh how I love you so, lost in those memories_

_And now you've gone_

_I feel the pain, feeling like a fool, Adieu_

_My love for you burns deep_

_Inside me, so strong_

_Embers of times we had_

_And now here I stand lost in a memory_

_I see your face and smile._

Something about Rinoa's voice pulled Squall back into the room, and he was not one to resist her beck and call, even after all the torment and pain she had caused. Slowly, inexorably, he made his way back across the hotel lobby and to the steps, where he paused for a moment.

_If only she knew how her words tortured me... She is not the person to purposefully cause pain to anybody, even those who work against her or she even hates. Whenever she fought, even against Ultimecia, it was always to protect herself, her friends, or the world. _Squall slowly walked back down the stairs and into the dimmed room.

Almost at once Rinoa felt his presence, slowly descending down the stairs, even before she could see his face he knew who the darkened shadow on the stairwell was. Natalie was playing solo for the moment, allowing her to concentrate on his features. The pain that seemed to be radiating from his soul hurt her more than she could fathom why. It hurt so much that even when she started singing again, she couldn't keep her mind off it.

_Oh how I love you so, lost in those memories_

_And now you've gone_

_I feel the pain, feeling like a fool, Adieu_

_My love for you burns deep_

_Inside me, so strong_

_Embers of times we had_

_And now here I stand lost in a memory_

_I see your face and smile._

The audience predictably broke into applause again. Rinoa wondered if the audience was applauding her singing or the two angelic pieces of meat on the stage. It sickened her that so much of the crowd considered her no more than a political tool that she did not want to be. _Living with and loving Squall might not have been easy, especially the day I "broke up" with him, but at least it was simple. No subtle affairs, no political currents that shifted daily. _

Rinoa was not sure if it was the audience or Squall's ever foreboding presence in the room, but suddenly she could not breathe. She put the microphone back on its stand. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we will be taking a 15 minute break, after which requests will be taken. Thank you." Rinoa bowed slightly at the renewed applause and quickly strode off the stage.

* * *

Rinoa gazed out at the courtyard in back of the hotel from a balcony connected to the lobby. The lights lit up the flowers and water of the ponds like a miniature Garden of Eden. Trees, some with fruits on them, rose above her head, despite the fact she was ten feet off the ground of the courtyard. Flowers blossomed aplenty throughout, with bushes, shrubs, and other plants filling a lot of the void. Small cobblestone paths made their twisting way through the plants like grey veins of life, pumping humans through slowly to admire the view. Several artificial ponds lined with concrete also ate up space, with fountains spouting water at various angles and splashing down gently into other ponds. All in all, it was a paradise one could get lost in.

It was also a paradise that attracted others, and right now Rinoa wanted to be alone. She was on the balcony to enjoy the view of the orchard while being separated from the people idly strolling around. She had hoped she could clear her mind quickly, and get back into the club to finish off the night, but her center was highly elusive tonight.

Watching a couple stroll slowly down one cobble stone path, she considered the last week, probably one of the longest in her life. She had gone from a broken shell longing for the one thing she never thought that she would be able to see again, then suddenly it was dropped on her lap like a gift wrapped present. _And not one iota of remorse from him._

This thought flashed through her mind just as the door to the balcony opened. _So much for being alone. If I ignore him he will… _Rinoa paused in mid thought. _Him… Squall. It's Squall behind me. I don't even need to look to know. How the hell…?_ Rinoa sighed softly "Squall, go away please. I don't want to talk to you."

Squall stood silent behind her, gazing at her figure and again admiring the figure in front of him leaning on the balcony rail. _She is so beautiful… Who is it that said you don't know what you stand to loose until you already lost it?_ Squall stayed silent considering what responses he would give.

Rinoa, on the other hand, was getting more and more nervous by the moment. "Squall…" she spoke more loudly as she turned and faced him, and stopped cold. _What? Why? Can we at all maybe pick up? Or are we doomed to repeat ourselves?_

Squall interrupted her before she could speak further. "Rinoa, why?"

Rinoa tilted her head softly, feigning confusion, even though somehow she knew exactly what he was thinking. _Why did you leave? Why are you saying good bye to me now? Why did you attack me? Why Why? _"Why what Squall?" She asked with genuine curiosity, wondering if Squall had improved his speech ability in the last three years.

Squall was not forthcoming, or talkative. Not one sound came from him, but instead he continued to stare at her, with pain etched softly on his face. _And he can't even keep his eyes above my neck!_ Almost like he had been caught red handed in the girls dorms after curfew, Squall looked up at her with guilt written all over his face and reddening slightly in the cheeks. Rinoa smirked almost impermeably and shook her head. _Still the same stupid lug. _She sighed and pushed past him heading towards the door.

"Why did you leave? Why are you trying to say good bye to me now? Why did you attack me? Why…" Squall's voice stopped her cold, and she turned around to face his back. In any other situation she would have been laughing pretty hard at that. _Look out Quistis; you're not the only expert Squall reader anymore. _"You should know the answers, Squall. I know everything you did and everything you didn't tell me."

Squall stood rooted in place, his hands in his pockets like a statue. "You say you know everything I did. I don't believe that for an instant, or else you would never have left." His voice sounded with conviction and as he spoke, Rinoa got a flash of the ballroom of Garden in her mind. _Why am I thinking of Balamb's ballroom now? Those were the happiest days of my life but…_

Before Rinoa could continue this thought further Squall continued. "Do you know all the pain I suffered over 3 years? The worst day of my life was the day you left me, and I've been living in hell since."

Rinoa exploded in anger. "YOU suffered?! YOU were living in hell?! Let me tell you something Mister 'I'm the most important man in the world'… YOU are really clueless because _I_ had to live and suffer like you, only much worse! You don't know what others feel, and you never did, nor did you care! I… I…"

Rinoa's verbal assault lost its steam against Squall's stone passive face. "Squall, I can't live like this anymore."

With that, Rinoa spun on her heels and headed to the doors with every intent on walking out.

_Why did you leave Rinoa?_

Rinoa's anger resurfaced as she spun around with renewed vigor. "You want to know why I left? I left because you're a cheating, cold hearted, emotionless son of a bitch! You're like a robot, doing Cid's bidding mindlessly. You … what the hell are you frowning at?!"

All this time Squall was frowning, the first facial expression he had displayed besides his stone hard emotionless mask. "I could have sworn I didn't say anything out loud."

Rinoa laughed harshly "I'm sorry Squall, I heard you loud and clear."

They stood staring at each other with silence reigning between them. Rinoa couldn't stand the sight of him any longer and turned her back on him. _You don't know how much you hurt me. _

Rinoa let herself shed a single tear before heading to the door a second time, to be stopped a second time by Squall's words. "Tell me"

Rinoa paused and turned around. "Tell you what?"

Squall stared into her eyes, and for a brief flash, she thought she saw pain and longing in his eyes before he reigned in his emotions again. "Tell me how much I hurt you. You want me to know right?"

Rinoa paused. _Did I say that out loud?_ Before she could answer the question herself, Squall was answering it. "Yes you did say that out loud."

Rinoa paled slightly. "Squall… I didn't say it, nor did I ask you if I said that out loud."

Silence reigned once more as the implications of this started to pile on in both their minds. Rinoa spoke first, hesitantly. "Squall… I had a dream a last week, the night before I saw you for the first time. I was in Garden, but I was different, everything was expanded, more classrooms, the infirmary, 5 a gym deck the Quad… Selphie's stage that we designed was built. I saw the tree we planted… it was grown. And you were there under the tree like we had always talked about… And you had stubble like how you were at the club that night. If I had to guess, id say you didn't shave for 3 days, and didn't shave that morning either."

Squall frowned again, and it deepened as she spoke. "We remodeled Garden to handle the huge influx of students. It was completed 7 months ago. I don't see how you could know about all this unless you came."

Rinoa shook her head immediately. "I did not."

Squall thought for a moment. "Are you sure?

"Yes"

Squall considered for another moment. "You're right though, I didn't shave for four days before the night we met again. I also had the same dream. I was under the tree, picking a flower I had planted around it, from Edea's orphanage and then you were there, and you turned and ran."

They stood staring at each other, neither wanting to say what they were thinking. _What is going on here? How come he can hear what I'm thinking? Are we dreaming the same dreams?_

Squall spoke again. "I also dreamt that I was in the park near here a few nights before that. I never walked in that park until a few days later, yet I knew the details of it… and I saw you there."

Rinoa gasped lightly at this. "I had that dream too! On Tuesday right?"

Squall's brow furrowed. "Yea. What is going on here?" Squall might have asked that out loud but one word rang through his mind immediately. _Sorceress. _

Rinoa shook her head. "Squall, it can't be my sorceress powers. I haven't been able to read Natalie's mind and she's been a lot closer to me these last three years than you have. Besides, I haven't used them in a long, long time."

Squall turned and stared out at the garden under the balcony. "Yet you managed to hit me pretty hard with magic spells a few days ago."

Rinoa shook her head. "No, Squall, it was..." a thought hit Rinoa. "What if it's because you're my Knight? It would make sense if you are supposed to guard my body spirit and soul for you to hear my thoughts. Also, I've been feeling what I would guess have been your emotions all night. It's really driving me crazy."

Squall shook his head now. "What does this mean, Rinoa? What are we supposed to do about this? I mean, you could be..." Squall visibly paled

Rinoa's face paled with him. "You think I'm possessed because of a few days ago don't you?"

Squall whirled "Rinoa, listen, its not me it's..."

Rinoa didn't give him a chance to speak further, cutting him off with her sharp tongue. "I know what your thinking, Squall, remember? You think I'm possessed or in danger of being possessed. You're mad about my leaving you 'cause I couldn't stand you and your bastard personality. Well I have news for you Squall, I don't want you, or you're Knighthood, or anything else about you. I want you gone from this city. It started when you came into Galbadia and will go away!"

Squall was quick to jump to his defense. "Rinoa! I..."

Rinoa cut him off yet again. "I don't care what you say Squall, I don't EVER want to see you... OR FEEL YOU... again!"

Rinoa spun on her heels a third time heading to the door. This time Squall had no words with which to stop her.

* * *

Author's notes:

Well thank you stupidity. I was gonna post this story on wednesday, and work on chapter 14 over thanksgiving weekend, but i forgot the charger to my laptop. Yea that was stupid. anyways, chapter 14 is about half done, and im gonna whip myself to get it done by friday and to the betas. chapter 15 is being merged with chapter 16 because of lack of materiel and should be ready saturday, with the new chapter 16 being posted sunday. after that im afraid im going to have to break for finals, and pick up posting after the new year with several new chapters. Sorry about all the delay!

The song is from Adieu from Cowboy Bebop. Thank you to my beta Raven for finding the song for me!!!! I do not own it.


	15. Chapter 14

Irvine voice blared through the speaker phone for all in the room to hear. "Yea Quistis, Rinoa is here, and she still is a sorceress. I'm afraid to report that she seems like she is unstable, possibly starting to go dark, or whatever it is that sorceresses like Adel call themselves."

Quistis sat in the commander's office, a place where she felt foreign. One thought kept running through her mind, almost every moment of the day. _This is Squall's chair. I don't belong here. _But of course Cid thought she did, and had appointed her acting Commander until he felt Squall could be reinstated. She sighed. _Three weeks in this job and I already hate it. How did Squall put up with it?_ "How bad is she?"

Quistis continued to stare at the speaker phone. Irvine's reply was not forthcoming. "Irvine?" Silence reigned for a few more seconds, giving time for Quistis to look at the other two occupants of the room.

Selphie was predictably sitting with a bubbly expression, no doubt happy to hear from her on and off boyfriend of the last three years, and hearing that Rinoa was alive and well, and most importantly talking to Squall. Quistis sighed. _I suppose that is good news, but somehow I can't really jump for joy at that. _

Cid Kramer sat in an easy chair, massaging his nose with one hand and squeezing his eyes shut. Of all the people Quistis had met in her 7 years of being a SeeD, Cid was one of the few people she could not read like a book. His expression was unreadable as he sat there listening to Irvine's report. Quistis' heart went out to him. _He lived through two sorceress wars, and it affected him so personally, in a lose-lose situation. Now he is looking straight down the barrel of a third one, and one that could tear his adopted family apart again. _

Irvine's voice finally filtered back through the speaker of the telephone. "Not good, Quistis. I think it might be prudent to send some reinforcements here for the express purpose of helping to control Rinoa. Right now I think she's at the point where she could go either way."

Quistis looked at the duty roster. "I can have 3 level 15-20 SeeDs there in two days."

Irvine's answer came after a few second's hesitation. "Quistis, if you could, I'd like Selphie to come. I think having people Rinoa knows very well will help out tremendously and not make her feel hostile."

Quistis started scribbling notes on a noteputer. "Irvine, I'm well aware of that, but I think that Squall should be enough to..."

Irvine interrupted her. "Umm..."

Silence reigned again. Quistis stopped writing and looked at the speaker phone. "Irvine... what is it?"

Irvine was silent for several more seconds before his voice came back in almost a whisper. "She... attacked Squall."

A much more sinister silence prevailed in the room for nearly thirty seconds. It was one of those ominous silences, completed by the ticking of the old style clock that Squall had insisted put in his office. Over the last few weeks, Quistis had eyed the clock several times with the desire to either remove it or throw a heavy object at it. She did not know how Squall could concentrate with its relatively loud ticking, but she felt it was not her place to touch it. Now it was loudly marking the passage of time.

Quistis, for once in the three weeks she was in here, did not hear its aggravating tick. Her mind was totally blank, save for those three little words that Irvine had spoken. _She attacked Squall. She attacked Squall. _Quistis stared at the speaker phone. If she was looking at her own face, she would have added herself as one of the few people whose expression she could not read. _She attacked Squall. _The noteputer and stylus silently dropped on the carpeted floor as Quistis slowly stood up. Her hands found the edge of the desk and she leaned forward on them. _She attacked Squall. _

"She did what?"

Quistis would later mentally slap herself for such a stupid comment, even whispered liked she had. She looked at Selphie whose face had turned to horror, shocked beyond words. She turned to Cid, whose face was ironically easy to read now. Quistis knew exactly what was running through his mind at the moment. _Is Squall alright? What did Rinoa do? Is this the end? Will we have to kill her?_

Irvine's voice came through the speaker louder, but somehow more timid. "She…" Irvine's voice cracked slightly. "She attacked Squall."

Quistis' voice was quiet but firm. "Is he alright?"

"Yea... just a small concussion. It could have been worse."

Quistis nodded even though Irvine was hundreds of miles away. "It could have been. When did this happen?"

Irvine's again hesitated. "Wednesday."

Quistis jaw dropped as she looked at the calendar. _What day is today? Monday?_ "Wednesday?!"

If Quistis had been in front of Irvine, she would have seen him wincing. Instead he was just getting a tongue lashing from one of the most feared instructors in any Garden. "Irvine, today is MONDAY, and your just telling me now that a sorceress used her powers to attack her own knight FIVE days ago?!"

Irvine's voice came back with conviction. "Quistis, if I had reported it immediately, we would have had a different problem. Squall is already wanting to side with her, some sort of promise he claims he made. I wanted to let both him and her calm down for a few days before any outside forces started pushing them."

Quistis sighed and collapsed into the seat. "What's done is done. We can't change it now." Quistis looked at Selphie. "Selphie, I want you on the 5 AM train."

Selphie nodded mutely and turned to walk out the door. "Selphie" Irvine's voice stopped her.

"Irvy?"

"Selphie I want you to go into my room. In the middle drawer of my desk, at the very back, there is a purple box there. I need you to bring it with you, its very important."

"I got it, Irvy!" Selphie transformed into her bubbly self in an instant and ran out the door.

In any other situation, Quistis probably would have made a few snide comments at this moment. Of course she knew that Selphie - and half the other girls in Balamb Garden – had a key to Irvine's room, in direct violation of Garden rules. Officially however, as an instructor she was supposed to reprimand and report Irvine to the Headmaster and Commander, since they and the discipline committee, of which Selphie was not a member and Irvine was not allowed to be a member of, - for obvious reasons – were the only ones allowed to have access to rooms besides their own.

"Irvine, be expecting me and Selphie tomorrow at noon. I'm coming myself."

Cid finally spoke for the first time. His voice was quiet and almost non existent, but still seemed to radiate his presence and be heard. "No you are not. You have a meeting with the Galbadian representative tomorrow morning."

Quistis looked over to Cid. "Headmaster, with all due respect, this is a situation that needs immediate attention from us. The Galbadian emissaries..."

Cid interrupted her. "Are coming tomorrow morning, and you will take the time to meet with them so they don't know that we are suddenly shorthanded. They will start investigating, and might discover Rinoa is a sorceress. You will leave as soon as the meeting is done."

Quistis rubbed her eyes. "And this isn't important as well? More so than worrying about the Galbadian SeeD requests? Surely Xu can handle this."

Cid shook his head slowly. "No, Quistis. They were expecting to meet with Squall. They know he is on mission, so it will not be a surprise for him not to be there tomorrow. If you aren't there they will get suspicious, especially if all 5 of the top SeeDs are on one mission. It will attract too much attention that the mission doesn't need."

Quistis sighed and sunk into her chair dejectedly. "Yes, Headmaster."

Irvine's flashy voice came through, and the instant she heard that tone, she knew that she was going to be complemented physically and most likely hear a remark about how the two should be in bed together. "Quistis, darling, it's quite alright. I think I will be able to survive one more night without your heavenly body in my bed."

Quistis sighed. Sometimes, she hated being right.

* * *

Selphie opened Irvine's door without a hitch. She absolutely loved being the special lady of the entire Garden who Irvine gave his room key too. It let her visit him whenever she wanted, often surprising him with her presence. _It also let me save Irvypoo so many times from those evil cadets who tried to have their way with my cowboy!_

Selphie went straight to the desk drawer, and sure enough there was a small purple box there. When she grabbed it, she found it was a velvety jewelry box. The lid was twisted slightly, like it had been thrown into something. Curious, she opened the box slowly. _That's funny, what would Irvine be doing with..._

Selphie's thought and even her mind stopped cold when she saw its contents. Her jaw dropped to the ground, because she knew exactly what it was.

* * *

Zell groaned as he fell 25 steps and landed with a heavy thud. Boxes of various sizes, but all extremely heavy thudded down on top of him, almost crushing him under their weight. "Will someone PLEASE explain to me again why in Hyne's we need all this garbage back at the hotel?!"

Irvine looked up from his intense game of Triple Triad. "Zell because the lady said so, therefore we carry this back."

Irvine grinned inwardly and brought his eyes back to his opponent, or more exactly to her body. Natalie was wearing a red half shirt that looked more like a strategically placed strip of cloth on her chest. Combined with the same tight black leather pants that she wore the day the three SeeDs started their contract, she was almost distracting for Irvine.

He looked at the board. They were playing with the sudden death rule, among others, and Irvine was looking for ways to continue the tie yet another match. They had been playing one long continuous game for the last half hour. Irvine had engineered the plot to get Zell off hauling the entire load by himself. He almost chuckled at the idea. First he found out that Natalie was a player, and then worked it up to where she challenged Irvine to a game as soon as they arrived at the Darvin Mansion. _She ain't that bad of a player at all, but she is facing the champion of Galbadia AND Balamb Gardens._ Irvine smirked and laid down a T-Rexaur card flipping a Grat and Adamantoise. _There we go, she will spend her time and see the way for her to take the lead. _

This was already the 17th hand played with the same cards on the sudden death rule, and both knew what cards the others had. _She has the Siren card there, and she can use that to take the lead, if she places it just right. _The best part of this game, besides watching Zell struggle with all the heavy boxes while he kicked back and played, was when Natalie went into deep thought. He wasn't sure if she noticed it, but every time she thought deeply, she leaned forward on her left hand while rubbing her thumb on the cards in her hand.

Irvine smirked as she leaned forward. Her golden blonde hair fell in clumps off her shoulder and forward, giving accent to what Irvine's eyes were immediately drawn to. _Definitely a game worth drawing out a few more hands. _Irvine smirked softly as he took in all there was to see of the new angle of Natalie's chest.

Before Natalie could finish, another loud crashing sound came down the steps, depositing Zell at the base once more with boxes chasing after him. Into the fray stepped Squall who looked at the entire situation incredulously. _He's back already? Did Selphie not show up? Oh..._

The bouncy bundle of energy that was Selphie came bounding through the doorway and immediately charged Irvine, tackling him right out of the chair. "IRVINE!!!"

He hugged her greatly for show. Sure he had a thing for her, if Irvine had ever experienced anything remotely close to love in his long trail of ladies, Selphie was definitely it. But he was hard to get, and he liked playing it like that. However right now, Irvine had another concern.

Picking them both up off the floor he told Natalie he would be right back. Taking Selphie aside to the corner of the room, he glanced to Squall and Zell to make sure they were occupied with Zell's (rather justified) ranting on how Irvine was not helping him. Satisfied, he turned to Selphie. "Did you bring it?"

Selphie nodded vigorously and brought a small velvet purple box out of her pocket. "Irvy? What is this? It can't be..."

Irvine nodded. "It is" He took the box and put it in one of his many protected coat pockets and sealed it tight to make sure he didn't loose the box, and its most precious cargo.

Selphie looked at him with big confused eyes. "But when did..."

She didn't finish. An explosion rocked the house, sending shards of glass and wall spraying into the room. Natalie screamed and dived forward, knocking the table over and rolling behind it, avoiding most of the projectiles. Irvine's Exeter was out in a second, and 3 seconds after the explosion the four SeeDs were in heavy combat.

Several men came rushing forward through the gaping hole now present in the wall of the main living room of the house. Some were obviously clad in military surplus camos while others were dressed in civilian clothes. All were armed and deadly. They apparently learned from their mistake, because none of them were armed with firearms this time.

Irvine knew his duty well. He was a sharpshooter; his specialty was not short range combat. Therefore it fell to him to get Natalie to safety. He didn't like grabbing her and running, but he had his duty to perform and he would do it. Like a machine, the safety on Exeter was off and the butt was on his shoulder. Two seconds later three of the attackers were down with gaping bullet holes in their chest. _Cure that!_

He rushed forward and grabbed Natalie by the arm and dragged her quickly across the room away from the fighting, picking off another attacker with a quick shot. The two got to a heavy oak desk that was in the main room and with Natalie's help, Irvine managed to tilt it over and setup a firing position, putting shots in with a sharp shooter's grace and skill. Over the last 4 years, he had managed to go from his failed attempt at assassinating Edea to able to be a calm, cold calculating shooter in combat. It used to be he was cavalier about shooting in combat, but after the horrors of Ultimecia he was a lot more jaded about killing.

No matter how much he picked on Zell, Irvine always marveled at his martial arts skills. He watched as the relatively short man dodged under a sword and within the useful range of another terrorist's pike, taking him down with two well placed punches. Zell used the pike to spear the sword wielder and two enemies were down. _Only probably 30 to go._ Irvine picked off another one when he got a clear shot.

Selphie, like normal was not challenged. People had a hard time believing that a 5 foot 1 inch girl in a short yellow dress could do damage. That was their mistake. Her Nunchuku swatted down a terrorist like he was a cardboard wall. When she found that she was momentarily without an opponent, she closed her eyes and started a Guardian Force summon. _These guys are in for a world of hurt. Damn so are we…_ Irvine watched as a dozen or more terrorist came through the hole in the wall, making it 40 on 4.

Squall of course looked more like a ballerina dancer than a SeeD. He was gracefully dodging, bowing, kneeling, and sidestepping every attack, taking down his opponents with the Lionheart with great ease. Nothing seemed to touch him or hit him. Irvine used the opportunity to cast Aura on him. Squall immediately felt the surge of energy and assaulted in his well honed assault he called Renzokuken. He leaped up with Guardian assisted strength and swept his sword, pulling the trigger for a special burst and a circle of fire enveloped 6 attackers, killing them in a blazing inferno.

As Squall landed on the ground, Selphie finished her summoning. Suddenly a gigantic, piercing trio of howls pierced the air and the massive beast known as Cerberus was in their midst. Irvine felt his magical abilities enhanced by a triple spell, but that was hardly necessary. Cerberus' appearance had frightened the terrorists, and those who didn't immediately break and run were trampled under its massive paws or eaten in one of its three hungry mouths.

As the dust settled, Selphie dismissed Cerberus and all 5 surveyed the damage. Irvine could see several of the Darvin Mansion guards dead out on the perimeter. A piece of the ceiling fell and hit the ground, producing the only sound in the mansion. Natalie got up and walked slowly over to the table she was sitting at before being interrupted. She bent down and surveyed the cards scattered. "Too bad... I was beating you too..."

Squall covered his face and sheathed his gunblade. "You just survived an assassination attempt and that's the FIRST thing you can think of?!"

Natalie chucked. "Squall... don't think I don't know that I was nearly killed. I have been attacked at least 15 times in my life. I look at it, and move on. My overriding concern right now is those 5 guards outside, and their families, but I know my father will take care of that personally, so I can't really do anything about it. All I can do right now is move on."

Squall sighed and covered his face again. "I suppose your right... but you know Irvine was just toying with you so Zell would carry the boxes and he could look down your shirt..." Squall reddened slightly. "... or lack thereof."

Natalie laughed heartily as everybody turned to a now red Irvine. Selphie was almost flaming mad. "IRVY!!!"

Natalie walked to Irvine and kissed his cheek. "Don't worry Squall, I know why he was doing it, and I enjoyed his attentions. What he didn't know was that I was letting him keep the tie and in exchange I got him to fetch me a full fledged lunch like he was a puppy."

Irvine's shout was loud and almost an octave higher. "I did not! I... I..." He looked at the wrappers on the ground scattered by the explosion as the truth sunk in. He was played.

Everybody was so busy laughing they didn't hear one of the terrorist stir, and didn't see him open his eyes and stare around. They didn't hear the pike next to his hands being picked up. Natalie only was able to shout "Squall!" a split second before the pike pieced his back and went straight out the other side.

Squall gasped in pain and slowly sunk to the ground as Irvine and Zell charged up. Selphie screamed and Irvine shot the terrorist right in the face, but it was too late. Squall felt himself starting to fade out. One thought entered his mind though, and that was Rinoa's face. His last thought was her name on his lips and mind as he collapsed on the ground.

* * *

Rinoa woke up screaming and flew into a sitting position. She felt like something had just gone through her chest. She looked down and patted the entire left side of her chest, but felt nothing wrong. That didn't change the fact she felt like she was a piece of meet on a shish kabob stick. She quickly localized the pain to the middle of her ribcage but still could not find anything wrong.

_RINOA!_

Squall's voice sounded in her head, and sounded just as pained as she felt, then suddenly a gigantic, ugly void filled her mind, body, and soul. Suddenly she knew what happened. Tears started streaming down her eyes. "Squall..." Her voice was just a whisper.

* * *

Authors Notes: Okaaaaaaaaaaaay that was longer than I anticipated sorry guys! I had a few tests sneak up on me, that I had little notice about, then I ran into a huge continuity problem with the next three chapters. I finally resolved them last night, and viola! A new chapter!

Don't worry there are going to be two more chapters before I break for Christmas.


	16. Chapter 15

Irvine looked at Squall's body as they rode in the ambulance. He could clearly recall almost every horrifying moment that ended him up riding in this car, with his best friend dying on that bed. _Irvine had seen the Terrorist getting up but between the dizzying high of battle and the laughing, he did not correctly process it. When he finally did, he tried to warn but he was totally out of breath from laughing so hard. He heard Natalie's shout, strangely distant as he watched in horror. Blood sprayed out as the point went out his chest. _

Irvine looked at the bleeding hole in Squalls chest and almost wretched. _He charged up, Exeter held high and shot the terrorist in the face, a feral scream sounding as he did so. He realized later that was him screaming. Zell ran to Squall and slowly pulled the pike out of him. Trying a Curaga spell and seeing it not work he shouted. "Get an ambulance!"_

Irvine glanced at Natalie. She still had the look of horror on her face, and for once in his life, Irvine completely ignored a good looking scantily dressed body. _Natalie nearly screamed her head off as Zell tried to keep Squall stable. "Oh Hyne, this is my fault… this is my fault!!!" _

_Irvine had to grab her and pull her out of the room but she demanded riding in the ambulance. Irvine agreed on the condition that she calm down and not scream that it's her fault. _Irvine sighed. _I will handle that later._

As the Ambulance pulled into Galbadia Central Hospital, they saw doctors waiting to greet the new arrival. In very quick and efficient order, the bed that Squall was on was rolled away and into surgery as the rest of the group slowly filed out and sat in the lobby. Natalie was nearly in tears, and Irvine went to sit down next to her. "Irvine, it's my fault, if I hadn't been picking on you… If I hadn't taken you up on the challenge…"

Irvine took off his hat and set it on Natalie's head. Of course it looked ridiculous if you actually thought about it, the style of the hat clashed with the upscale clothes that she was wearing. "Listen, Suga, you couldn't know that one of the terrorists was alive. It was our job to find that out, and we failed. You can't blame yourself for this."

Natalie looked into Irvine's eyes and another tear rolled down her cheek. "But… if I hadn't… if my father had not hired you…"

Irvine interrupted her immediately. "You would be dead for weeks now, with your body parts scattered across the Prime Rib."

Natalie closed her eyes and absorbed what Irvine was saying. He had to hand it to her; she took those words in and accepted them, and didn't cry and hug him, saying random things that were either untrue or impossible like so many other women, like Selphie. She just sat and accepted it then reached up to take off Irvine's hat. With a whisper she returned it to his head. "Thank you, Irvine."

Zell walked up to the two. "Irvine, you'd better call Quistis."

Irvine nodded solemnly. This was not going to be fun. He stood up and walked to the front desk, looking like a man walking to his execution.

* * *

It was 6 hours before a nurse came to the group. "Your friend is out of surgery now." 

Selphie almost assaulted the poor nurse. Only Zell's quick grasp held her from tackling the poor hospital worker. "Is he alright?"

The nurse shook her head. "The prognosis isn't good. The doctor is still cleaning up from the surgery so he hasn't logged his official prognosis yet, but I heard him say that your friend will need a miracle to survive.

Many heads fell dejected at this news. Irvine however didn't. "Then I will find him a miracle." With that he strode out of the room.

* * *

Irvine walked out of the hospital with resolve. He knew he had to find Rinoa soon and bring her back to Squall. It was the only chance he had to live. After checking the hotel, he thought about where in the City she could have gone as a native. One answer came to mind. He walked out of the hotel and headed towards the park where Squall and Rinoa first met up again. 

As he was walking Irvine started composing possible scenarios of what might happen. As the various situations ran through his mind, he suddenly had a new appreciation for Squall's mind and marveled how with all the bad things that could happen, that he managed to stay hooked on Rinoa all this time.

Entering the park, he walked along the path until he got to the oak tree. Sure enough Rinoa was there, lying on her stomach and staring at a flower which was in her hand. He cautiously approached; worried on how she might react to his presence considering the last few times they met. He was surprised though. "Irvine, please stop sneaking around and come here."

Rinoa had made no indication she was aware of his presence, much less showed any signs of knowing who was behind her. Irvine picked up his pace and sat down, his legs stretched out. Rinoa sat up and started to hug her legs, rocking back and forth. She was wearing her old clothes complete with her blue duster, and Irvine remembered many a time when she sat doing exactly that. He took a breath and held it for a moment. "Squall was injured badly."

"I know" Rinoa's voice was almost too soft to hear.

Irvine was surprised for the second time since he found her "How? I don't recall anybody leaving to tell you."

"Last time Squall and I talked, we figured that our connection as sorceress and knight allows us to feel what the other is feeling. Sometimes, we can even hear each other's thoughts. Last night, I was asleep when I felt something rip through my chest. It felt like my entire insides were splayed open. I was gasping for pain. Then I heard Squall calling my name and the pain stopped. Somehow, I knew that he had been injured."

Irvine let his breath out that he did not realize he was still holding. Rinoa continued "How is he?"

Irvine looked down at the ground for a moment. "He is not expected to survive."

That got Rinoa's attention for sure. She stood up. _Squall is going to die? No!_ She stared at the oak tree in a stupor for several moments, remembering all the things which they had gone through. By the time Irvine had stood up however, she had gotten to the last few months that they were together. Anger started to build up in her.

Irvine gently took her by the wrist. "Come on, I know he wants to see you."

It took Rinoa a moment to realize he was leading her away from the tree, but when she did, she violently ripped her hand from his grasp. "So? It's not like I actually care for the bastard. Why the hell should I go and see him?"

Irvine was stunned speechless. "............." He now understood something else about Squall and his manner of thinking. Staring at Rinoa for a moment, he was finally found his motor control again, just enough to stammer "W...Wha...What?!"

Rinoa turned her back to him "I don't care about Squall, and I am not going to see him. He doesn't care one ounce for me and he caused me too much pain already. I am through with him! I made this perfectly clear to him a few days ago."

Irvine felt his jaw drop. He snapped it back up and clenched his jaws together. "How could you say such a thing?! I spent the last three years keeping him from completely falling apart! Now you have the nerve to say that he doesn't care about you? Great Hyne, Rinoa! On testimony of Zell and Quistis, Squall shed more tears the day you left than the rest of his previous life combined! When you left, you stabbed him with his own gunblade, pulled the trigger, and then ripped it out the other side!"

"Hah, serves him right for forgetting my birthday."

Irvine was stopped speechless yet again. "This is all because he forgot your birthday? Rinoa, do you actually think he could EVER forget your birthday? He had a huge surprise party and everything!"

Rinoa's first bit of doubt came at this point, but she shoved it aside. She spun around and glared angrily at him. "Selphie would have told me about a surprise party. And no, it isn't just 'cause he forgot my birthday. He was cheating on me with Xu!"

"WHAT?!" Irvine's eyes grew wide.

Rinoa smirked. _I bet you didn't know this about your "friend" _"I went looking for Squall two weeks before I left. He said he was working, but his office was locked, and the light was out. I went back to the dorms, and as I was walking around a corner, I saw Squall walk out of Xu's room. I followed him into his room. When I asked him where he was, he said he was in his office doing important work. Yea right."

Irvine's mind whirled._ Coming out of Xu's room? We did go to her room a few times for the party, but we left at the same time. Except that one night he left early... _"Oh, no. no, NO! It wasn't like that! He was there to plan your party! I know! I was there every single time!"

"Irvine, drop this masquerade. I know that there was no surprise party. Selphie would have told me. I commend that you are trying to help your friend, but please stop."

"Of course Selphie didn't know! WE DIDN'T TELL HER!!! We knew she would tell you and ruin the surprise. The only people who he told were Zell, Xu, Cid and me! Remember the ball room being closed for 'renovations'? That was to cover our preparations for the party! We were working on it for months! He spent so much time working on it. Hell, he even spent hours just worrying and fretting! Yes, your Squall was worried out of his mind! He spent entire nights just sitting in the ball room staring around at the various decorations!"

Rinoa's mind started to display more doubt at this point. She turned around as angrily as she could muster to hide this from Irvine. "Irvine, even if what you are saying were true, Squall would not have to be worried about me. He was avoiding me for some reason, and I am sure it was because he wanted to be away from me. He didn't love me and I was a total fool to believe he did. No one can open that prince of ice, and he can rot in hell for all I care!"

This time it was Rinoa's turn to be shocked speechless. Irvine replied immediately, and with more fire than she knew he possessed. "How dare you?" His voice started as a whisper, but quickly grew "Don't you DARE say that. How could you love a man yet know so LITTLE about him?! EVERYBODY IN GARDEN knew he was pretty much your _slave_! Do you want to know WHY he was so damn nervous? He was going to propose to you, Rinoa!"

Rinoa's mind went blank, her jaw slack. Turning back to him she could not even manage a simple word. "Wh... wh...." Irvine had never seen such a battle in someone's eyes before, and he knew he got through to her.

"Yes, Rinoa, he was going to propose to you. He had lunch reservations at the Red Chocobo a week in advance. He knew that was your favorite restaurant. You were supposed to wake up at eleven and he would surprise you with them. He then would take you to lunch with him in his full SeeD uniform. Xu would have come in and suggested you wear your beige dress that you wore when the two of you first met. While you were there, Zell and I would announce the party to everyone and gather everybody into the ballroom. When the two of you got back, he would take you there to be surprised. He had a three story cake for you and everything. He was going to shove a piece of the cake in your face and while you were distracted, pull out the ring and go onto his knee. Cid, Zell and Xu didn't even know about this. I was the only one he told."

Rinoa had fallen to the ground half way through this shaking her head. "No" She put her hands to cover her face and continued chanting "No... No... I don't believe it!" Her voice became more and more desperate each passing moment.

Irvine sighed and opened his jacket. He took the item which Selphie had brought with her from Garden and tossed it on the ground in front of Rinoa. Rinoa looked up. It was a purple velvet box. The lid was slightly twisted away from the base, like it had been thrown violently against something. It was just large enough for a ring. "Open it" He commanded.

Rinoa reached for the box with a shaky hand and slowly grasped the box, like it was a venomous snake which she didn't know whether it was alive or not. Slowly bringing it up, she reached with her other hand and slowly opened it. Inside, there was a perfect replica of Squall's Griever ring. It looked sized for her fingers, and was made of gold. The mouth reached out of the ring and held a perfect diamond in its jaws. Rinoa dropped the box and covered her mouth with both hands, half stiffening a scream.

"Take out the ring and look at the band, if you need more proof still."

Rinoa reached with her shaky left hand and slowly picked up the box. She removed the ring with her right hand.

Rinoa's world crashed down around her.

On the outside of the ring band, etched directly into the gold were the words "I'll be waiting" and on the inside, etched as eloquently, were the words "I promise"

Rinoa no longer held any doubts that she was totally wrong. These simple etchings proved in her mind beyond a reasonable doubt that every word that Irvine had said was true. Slowly she collapsed from her sitting position onto the ground and started crying into her arm bands. Irvine sat down next to her and slowly picked her up. Rinoa turned Irvine's jacket into her new tissue to cry in. "My God, Irvine. What have I done? What have I done?" Rinoa's voice was a hoarse whisper.

Irvine was unsure how to respond to that and remained silent. Rinoa continued to cry mindlessly for a few minutes, but managed to regain control and sit up. "Irvine, how much did he suffer when I left?"

Irvine grimaced. "He pretty much fell apart and retreated back into his shell. Only a very select few knew he was hurting, pretty much just Selph, me, Zell, Quisti, Cid, and Doctor Kadowaki. Cid is really unhappy about his drinking problem."

Rinoa was silent for a moment "Why didn't he come looking for me?"

"He did. That vacation that he was going to use for his honeymoon, in the end, turned out to be spent sitting at the orphanage in that flower field. He said he promised to be there, something like that. He wouldn't even go into the orphanage to sleep the first few weeks. Matron was worried about his health. Meanwhile, Quistis, Zell, Selphie and I took a vacation to try to find you. We searched everywhere, but I guess we didn't look hard enough. We spent.... about six months in total I guess. Then Squall had his first Training Center incident. He almost killed himself, and even asked Doctor Kadowaki to let him die. We realized that we needed to get back to our jobs and try to help Squall. He has been a total wreck since."

Irvine stood up to stretch his legs and collect his thoughts. Rinoa stayed on the ground imagining how much her Squall must have been hurt. Only when a malodorous scent invaded her nose did she look back up at Irvine, to find him smoking a cigarette. She frowned "When did you pick up smoking?"

Irvine looked at the cigarette in his fingers and half grimaced and half smiled. "After Squall did about 2 and a half years ago, right after the first Training Center accident. He was so recluse; it was hard for even Quistis to get him to talk at all. So, I started to hang out with him while he was smoking. He told me under no uncertain terms he did not want to be disturbed, so I started smoking to give me an excuse to stay."

Rinoa covered her face again, but had no more tears to shed. She had cried herself dry of them. "I caused so much suffering. Why?"

Irvine sat down again and puffed his cigarette. Enveloping her in a hug he replied. "Rinoa, you didn't cause it. It's not your fault."

Rinoa looked up at Irvine. "Yes I caused it. If I had only trusted my heart instead of using my mind to leap to conclusions..."

Rinoa looked down again and sighed. "We should get going."

Irvine stayed in place for a moment. "Yea, we should."

* * *

Rinoa had a chance to clear her mind somewhat on the brisk walk to the hospital. Irvine guided her up to the 4th floor and around the security to the emergency ward. They traveled down a long white hallway and eventually arrived at a pair of glass double doors. Natalie, Zell, and Selphie stood there staring into the room while two doctors hovered around Squall.

Rinoa looked around for a moment "Where is Quistis?"

Selphie turned around and hugged Rinoa lightly. "She had to meet with some important clients today, as acting Commander. She should be arriving very soon actually."

Further conversation was cut short as one of the doctors came out. He took off his mask which covered his face, revealing a pained expression. "I'm sorry, but there is nothing we can do. The damage is worse than we thought. His heart was grazed by the spear. It ripped a hole in one of the chambers. Every beat of it is ripping the hole a little bigger, and is pumping blood into the hole in his chest at a faster and faster rate. His left lung is a lost cause also. I don't know how he was alive when you brought him in, but whatever it was will not keep him like that much longer."

Irvine grimaced. _The guardian forces he has junctioned probably_. "Is he awake?"

The doctor looked him in the eye for a moment "Yes, but he is in pain. He refused to let us put him unconscious. "

Irvine nodded "Thank you, doctor."

The group walked in and collected a few feet from the bed. Irvine pushed Rinoa to continue. Slowly, she came to the edge of the bed and stared at Squall's face. Pain was etched lightly on his features, but his closed eyes betrayed no emotion. She ran her right hand through his hair, remembering how soft it always felt. His eyes opened slowly, then widened in surprise.

Rinoa smiled weakly. "Hey"

A shadow of a smile crossed Squall's lips. "Hey"

Rinoa's smile faded. "Squall, Irvine told me everything. The surprise party" She held up her left hand, which contained the purple velvet box. New tears started streaming down her face. "The ring. Everything."

Rinoa paused for a moment; she couldn't speak even if she wanted to. Her throat was closed completely. Instead, she absorbed his features into her memory for a moment. Then, swallowing, she forced herself to continue "Squall, can you forgive me? I caused you so much pain. Oh Hyne, I was so cruel and stupid."

Squall lifted his left hand slightly, which Rinoa took hold of with her free hand. He finally spoke. His voice was almost inaudible, pained, slurred, and broken by light gasps. "Rinoa... It was my fault. Please... don't punish yourself. "

"Squall... our marriage would have been the happiest day of my life. We could have.... we would have..." She gasped with tears.

Squall coughed and his arm muscles could no longer hold his hand up. It slowly lowered onto his chest, taking Rinoa's with it. Slowly, she let go and started to caress his chest. She felt the gaping hole through the medical outfit under his left breast where the spear went all the way through him. His raspy voice came back again. "Rinoa, remember your song. 'Think of all the things we've shared and seen, don't think about the way things might have been.'"

Rinoa managed a little smile at that "There will never be a day when I won't think of you."

The shadow of a smile returned to his face. "Guys?"

Irvine, Zell and Selphie stepped next to the bed. Irvine had stepped onto the right of Rinoa and laid his hand on Squall's pillow, while Selphie and Zell were on her left. Squall picked up Rinoa's right hand and laid it on top of Irvine's "Irvine, take care of her please."

Irvine shook his head. "Squall you shouldn't be..."

Squall interrupted him with a shake of his head. "Irvine, I know. Please."

Irvine only nodded his head slowly. Squall turned his head to Zell "Zell, you have been with me for 8 years. I might have given you a hard time, but you have been a great friend through all the times."

Zell smiled in acknowledgement. Squall continued "Selphie, don't let that womanizing cowboy go."

Selphie managed to choke a laugh through her tears, and add a smile on top of it. Squall's eyes returned to Rinoa. Her hand ran through his hair again.

Suddenly the machine monitoring his heart spiked in noise. Squall closed his eyes in pain and coughed. "Rinoa..." His voice was even raspier than before. "I'll be waiting, so if you come..." Squall's whole body convulsed and he choked on something. When he opened his mouth to speak again, blood trickled down his cheek. "You will find me. I promise."

Squall's body started to convulse heavily, and the machines in the room started to give out warning tones. The doctors and several orderlies rushed in and started shouting. Two of the orderlies cashiered the five back out the glass door, then locked it. Through the glass, they could hear the doctors shouting and giving orders.

"His heart rate is accelerating. Blood pressure dropping fast!"

The doctors rushed around, injecting him with various medicines, shutting off some drip bags and increasing others. An orderly brought a defibulator machine in and charged it up. Squall's body was still in convulsing uncontrollably, and blood was streaming out of his mouth and staining above the hole in his chest. Someone put the defibulator over his heart and Squall's body jumped as the machine did its job. The heart monitor went steady for a second then started to spike again.

"Again!"

Squall's body jumped again, but the heart monitor just continued to go faster and faster.

"Two hundred!"

Squall's body jumped a lot higher, but his body had stopped convulsing. Only his hands were shaking lightly. Then the monitor went flat and blared out the dreaded tone.

"Again!"

Squalls body jumped only lightly, and his hands stopped shaking completely. The monitor continued to blare out the harsh sound.

"Again!"

Another shock did not even bring his body out of the bed. The doctor holding the defibulator sighed and hung his head. "Call it"

One of the orderlies looked at the clock. "Time of death: 10:22 PM"


	17. Chapter 16

Quistis stepped off the train at the Galbadia City Train Station. This was definitely one of the longest days in her life. First she was woken at 3 AM from a nightmare which had disturbed her enough that she was unable to fall asleep. After seeing Selphie off at the 5 AM train, she came back to Garden and found herself unable to sleep further, nor could she concentrate on her paperwork as either a teacher or acting commander. Her meeting with the Galbadian emissary, which was only supposed to take an hour, stretched on with pointless bickering and posturing for over four.

Finally, with a growing migraine, she was able to end the meeting at the news of Squall being in critical condition. She asked for a recess to attend to important Garden affairs and asked Xu to continue the meeting in three hours, to give him enough time to get aggravated, and then rushed to pack some clothes into a bag. She barely caught the 3 PM express train, and after 7 more hours of rather restless waiting, finally arrived at Deling city just after 10 PM. She pushed onwards running only on the thought that she needed to see Squall and know he was still alright. Her favorite sunset colored garment was wrinkled from over 20 hours of straight use, including several spent lying down in a futile attempt to sleep.

As quickly as she could, she made her way towards the hospital, where her lack of knowledge of the streets of Galbadia City quickly made themselves apparent. She got herself lost twice, making the ten minute walk close to twenty. During this time, she managed to get herself into several alleyways where she didn't feel safe without her whip in hand. Sure enough, she also got a few cat calls during her trip. She finally arrived at the hospital, and rode the elevator to the fourth floor.

The receptionist looked up at her for a moment. "May I help you?"

Quistis took out a slip of paper from her pocket "Room 423, please?"

The receptionist pointed down one of the hallways. "Go down that hall way, second left, and go to the end of the hall." With that, the receptionist turned her attention back to her computer screen and started typing again.

Quistis thanked the woman, though she was rather sure she did not hear it. As she slid down the hallway silently, a loud curse rang through the hall from behind her. Quistis turned and saw the receptionist beating her computer screen, in a vain attempt to get it to work. Quistis smirked and shook her head. She came to the second left and turned.

About halfway down the hall, she heard shouting coming from the end of the hallway. She frowned and began to jog down the corridor with a sick feeling growing in her stomach. As she approached the end of the hallway, she saw double glass doors with five figures standing just outside it. Inside several medical personnel buzzed around a bed frantically.

She came closer. She recognized Selphie, Irvine, Zell, and Rinoa. The last person was an extremely tall blond woman, taller than even Quistis' above average height by several inches. _Probably Natalie Darvin._ This was all she had time to take in before her attention was taken by the happenings past the glass doors. Doctors and nurses were buzzing around a bed, and she caught a glimpse of a very familiar scar running down the forehead of the patient.

She came up next to her friends and was about to ask what was going on when she heard someone from inside say something. Her stomach twisted and churned. The absolutely simple phrase was absolutely horrible. Quistis at first could not believe her ears. "Time of death: 10:22 PM"

"No...." Quistis was not sure who said that at first, but then realized that it was her own voice. _He can't be dead! He is... No... He can't!_ Quistis looked to her friends and immediately lost all hope. Squall was dead. The look on her friend's faces confirmed that. Zell was leaning against the wall to their left with his right arm, and was burying his eyes in the arm as well. Selphie was openly crying into the jacket of Irvine, who himself had taken off his hat from his head and held it over his chest, his eyes closed and pain etched across his face. His other arm was wrapped around Selphie, in an obvious attempt to comfort her. Natalie's face was stone hard, but shock, pain... _and guilt?... _were written all over it. But all these expressions paled in comparison to the last person there.

Rinoa's face was... _By Great Hyne himself!..._Quistis knew that the look on Rinoa's face would haunt her nightmares for years. How can one describe it? How does one express such sorrow, pain, guilt, denial, and absolute misery as was on her face? Could even the Guardian of love and muse, Siren, describe it?

Rinoa's face was a huge melting pot of emotion. Fear, disbelief, sorrow, love, hate, acceptance, denial, among others. But most prevalent was pain, lots of pain. Immense pain. Overwhelming pain. The pain that you can only have when someone has reached inside your body and ripped out your heart, which for all intents and purposes had just happened to her.

Rinoa's face expressed so much of all these emotions, and staring at it made time stop for Quistis. Rinoa's right hand was hovering a few inches from her mouth just stopped from covering her mouth, which was open in a silent, painful, agonizing scream that cried out louder than any voice could muster. Her left hand was frozen a few inches lower, carrying a small purple box of some kind. Quistis expected Rinoa to drop the box in shock, but surprisingly she held her grip on it, instead almost smashing it under an assaulting grasp.

Rinoa's eyes told the entire story which Quistis had not already heard. Her eyes were squinted, as if holding back non existent tears. They told the tale of her agonizing sorrow during their separation. They spoke of Rinoa's mistake and the blame she set on herself for her mistake. The box in her hand completed the story, the marriage proposal which never occurred due to her mistake. All of it combined together to form regret and pure sadness at the life which the two could have shared these last three years together, in absolute bliss, instead of the absolute agony which they had gone through instead. They showed a future now completely devoid of any hope or peace or happiness.

The medical technicians started to slowly file out, muttering apologies and words of half felt sorrow. They had seen too many die in the hospital, and it had taken a toll on them, making them numb to the actual reality that this corpse was once a man, who had lived, loved, laughed, languished, and learned.

None of the six heard them. All were focused on their own sense of grief. Grief for a person, barely a man, who had seen just twenty years of life. Barely not a boy anymore, who had seen more horrors than most people see in a lifetime. A leader loved and respected by almost the entire world. A person just like any other, now removed from the world for ever.

Rinoa started to move forward, painfully slow, almost as if a ghost herself. She drew up to the bed where Squall's body lay, and fell on her knees. The tears which had been held back before were now falling freely onto the blanket which covered the corpse. A soft cracked, broken voice penetrated through the room "Squall? Squall? No... Please... no... I accept, you were going to ask me to marry you, I accept. Yes once, twice and a thousand times more... Please... we are going to be happy together... just come back..."

Quistis could bare no more of this. Her own eyes shimmered with tears, not just for the loss of Squall, but for what Rinoa must be going through at this moment. She stepped forth, past the two doctors and the orderly who were finalizing some paperwork that needed to be taken care of upon the death of someone in the hospital, past the humming machines which still spoke of the dead body, past the safety zone of the now crying young woman, and next to the bed. She laid a hand on Rinoa's shoulder "Rinoa, I...."

Quistis was not sure what to say. What could one say at a time like this? What words could possibly express the sorrow that she held? What words could comfort the broken sorceress that kneeled next to the fallen knight? What words could tame the Lioness which mourned the loss of the Lion? What sentiments could raise the fallen angel? Quistis had no words that could.

She did not need them. She never finished, nor started really. As soon as Quistis spoke, a savage, primal noise ripped through the room, drawing all attention to the source. Rinoa. The silent scream that was on her lips before finally worked its way free. The agonized, raw, painful, delirious sound which told more than a thousand page story, that told more than any amount of words could ever tell.

Suddenly, Quistis flew back as though she had been shoved by a hand. Rinoa stood up, her hair starting to frizz, and started to float off the ground. Quistis recognized this instantly. Angel Wings. The wound her heart had received, more horrible and agonizing than any would she could withstand physically had reactivated her dormant sorceress powers.

Wings spread from Rinoa's back as she floated in the air. A collective gasp filled the room from all eight observing. The wings were not the pure, loving white wings which Rinoa had been known for. They reminded half of something much worse, much more horrible, and much more evil. They were filled with rage and anger and evil. They were as Ulmeticia's were, black as night and just as deadly.

* * *

Authors notes: (grin) and you guys thought the last one was a cliff hanger. Don't worry, the story is not over, not by a long shot, 8 more chapters at least. However... this will be the last post for at least a month. I am in the middle of final exam season, then I'm going to be gone for Christmas. Ill start working again in January, and hopefully have my first new chapter by mid January. Have a peaceful and joyous Christmas and party hard on the new year. (grins wider) and suffer in agony as I work this story painfully slow to its close. laughs maniacally MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (cough cough hack!) owww… gotta quit smoking. (lol don't really smoke)

Also thank you to QueenAdreena for pointing out that I had spelling errors in chapter 14. I cant believe I forgot to do something as simple as spell check. It has been corrected.


	18. Chapter 17

Irvine watched as Quistis hit the wall of the hospital room in a manner eerily similar to the way Squall was tossed into Rinoa's hotel room wall. _Then again, its almost the same exact situation, only much more dangerous._ Quistis collapsed onto the ground like a puppet who's strings were just cut as Zell and Selphie cast Shell Spells. Irvine did the same and with a well-practiced signal, he told Zell to get Natalie out of there. He looked at Selphie and the look she returned told him, as always, he could depend on her no matter what. Swallowing hard, Irvine took out his Exeter rifle as Selphie drew her Nunchaku from behind her.

Rinoa was currently throwing a lightning bolt out of her hand at Zell and Irvine raised his rifle. He set it for a single shot and pulled the trigger. Rinoa's hand went up before he had even finished and the bullet stopped in mid air a half foot from her palm. _Good, I have her attention._ He knew that the single shot wouldn't get through to Rinoa. After all that they had went through 4 years ago; he knew she had enough control over her sorceress powers to stop that. A pair of fireballs hit his Shell Spell as Zell exited the room quickly with Natalie in tow.

Irvine felt the backwash of the magic hitting his protective spell and felt himself white out for a moment. When his vision returned Selphie was already moving around to Rinoa's side. During all the training Rinoa had done with them, he knew her weakness was trying to keep up with multiple targets. The stories they had heard from Edea told them that Rinoa's abilities would improve to the point that she could concentrate fully on casting at many people at once, but Rinoa had run from garden before she had gotten there.

Rinoa waived her hand and the temperature in the room dropped. Irvine readied his Shell Spell with more concentration and quite quickly jagged shards of ice flew up from the ground and hit it. Before he could do more, the room lit up in a spectacular ball of light as he was hit by a Flare Spell.

Irvine felt himself white out again, and forced his total concentration on keeping himself conscious. He felt his shell spell collapse without concentration, but he could not do anything about that at the moment. Heat washed over him and he felt his hair stand on end and suddenly he was on the ground spasming. _Thundaga_. Rinoa raised her hands and more lighting bolts flew from her hands, hitting him and forcing his body into more spasms. Irvine's world exploded into a painful oblivion for what seemed like hours. In reality it was just a few seconds.

When his vision cleared again, he saw Selphie rushing Rinoa out of her line of sight. _GO SELPHIE!_ Selphie raised her weapon to strike Rinoa and swung.

She never made it.

Rinoa swept out a black wing and knocked Selphie aside, then reached out with her palm, sending her sprawling back with a Telekinesis Spell. Selphie had her Shell Spell up at full strength, so she did not get pushed back very far, but Rinoa quickly began assaulting her with one high-powered spell after another. _When did her wings become physical?_ As far as Irvine knew, the white wings she got when she Angel Winged were only visual, translucent images, not actual physical manifestations.

Irvine slowly reached for his rifle. His hands were still shaking from the electric torture he had endured. _Don't cast another Shell Spell, she will sense it. _He slowly grabbed it and flipped it to automatic. _I'm sorry Squall._ Irvine raised the rifle, but before he could aim and fire more shards of ice exploded from the ground, slicing into his skin and his hand felt frozen cold. His right hand and trigger were both covered in an inch of ice. He looked at Rinoa, who was still pummeling Selphie. One of the medical orderlies found the courage to pick himself up from a fearful huddle on the floor and charge the raging sorceress, but was hit by more lighting from her fingertips and quickly knocked down for the count. The rest of the medical staff was quickly hit by various successions of wind, fire, ice and lighting Spells and they were unconscious, all without Rinoa ever taking her eyes off the poor girl in the yellow dress, still assaulted by spell after spell as her defensive magic weakened. _This could be a problem. She's improved or something._

Irvine closed his eyes and concentrated on a Curaga Spell. Slowly the ice inflicted cuts on his skin closed and his hand unfroze, but his trigger house was still frozen solid. He cursed. Changing tactics, he cast another Shell Spell then a Firaga Spell at Rinoa. Rinoa's hand went up again, and she didn't even turn to face him. Suddenly the ball of fire was flying back at him and was scorching his mind with magic backwash. A second Firaga hit him and his Shell Spell collapsed again as his world turned white once more.

A loud crack brought his mind back into reality to find Selphie unconscious. She was badly burned from multiple Firaga Spells and Irvine was sprawled on his back. However one thing looked to his advantage. Quistis' whip was coiled around Rinoa's neck and the tall blond pulled with all her strength, bringing Rinoa to her knees.

Rinoa pulled with all her might against Quistis, and her wings flapped furiously as she struggled to free herself. Spell after spell hit Quistis, but her Shell Spell held for the moment. Irvine reached out and cast reflect on the blond woman and suddenly three spells hit Rinoa, weakening her further. Rinoa's hand went up and more lightning played out of her hand, frazzling him. He collapsed in pain.

Rinoa's black wings flapped again as a miniature tornado hit Quistis and she lost her grip on her whip. In quick succession, a Flare and Telekinesis Spell hit her and sent her sprawling into the wall again, this time unmoving. Irvine was still immobile from the assault he had sustained, and Selphie looked in no condition to even be conscious, much less fighting. Irvine had one inescapable conclusion. Rinoa had just defeated three of the most powerful SeeDs in the world, with barely a scratch.

However, her next actions startled him. Rinoa fell to her knees again, this time in front of the bed that Squall's body lay on. Her face fell into the medical gown that squall was wearing on his chest and she cried freely into it. With one last burst of power, a light swept from the corpse and the sorceress outwards, and passed Irvine. Immediately, he felt himself renewed with energy and picked himself up quickly. Quistis and Selphie were doing the same.

Little sparkles played across the sorceress and her love, and then the black as night wings slowly faded. Rinoa lay there crying freely into the shirt of the body; in exactly the same position as before her scream of anguish and vicious assault on everyone in the room had started. He picked up his rifle and looked at Quistis, who only nodded. Irvine quickly rushed up behind Rinoa and smashed the butt of the rifle into the back of her skull. Rinoa went out like a light and collapsed on the floor. Irvine and Quistis quickly scooped up her arms and started dragging her limp body out of the room as Selphie retrieved the purple box that held Squall's engagement ring, now never to be used.

Once they were out into the hall way, Irvine stopped and re-hung the Exeter Rifle on his shoulder then gingerly picked up Rinoa. He could feel the life beating inside her and hoisted the unconscious woman over his shoulder, and they quickly made for an exit. One small advantage of Rinoa's magical tantrum was that the entire hospital had been evacuated at its start, and now they only needed to avoid the Galbadian troopers that were just now entering the hospital.

The three SeeDs broke into the open air of the night without further incident and made their way back towards the hotel. They needed to regroup with Zell and Irvine knew he was heading there with Natalie. No one spoke one word as the three slowly made their way across Galbadia City.

* * *

More medical orderlies helped the fallen doctors onto their feet. The room was quickly cleared and taped off as evidence, though it was hardly needed. Quickly everything and everybody was cleared by the Galbadian soldiers and the room was emptied. The room was quiet and dark as technicians talked outside in hurried tones about the happenings in the room. So busy were they that no one looked into the room, and no one saw a spark from the heart monitor as it reactivated, and started to beep as normal. It continued this for five seconds before sparking and fizzling out again. 


	19. Chapter 18

Rinoa slowly awoke in her bed after a horrible nightmare to the sound of a soft buzzing. Images flashed back slowly, like a hazy memory slowly becoming crystal clear again. She dreamt that Squall had been badly injured and Irvine had told her this grand story about how she was totally wrong about Squall, and that he was even going to propose to her before she left. Then when she had gone to see Squall, he had died right there in her arms.

She slowly sat up and winced as she suddenly came down with a splitting migraine. The entire back portion of her head felt like she had been struck by a two by four or some other large and heavy object. She shook her head as she became aware of two facts. One, she was in her day clothes, not her night gown. Two there were people in her room. She didn't see them, her vision was still cloudy, but it was more like she sensed their presence some how.

The buzzing sound seemed to get louder for a moment before she felt a hand coil softly around her wrist and she looked up... into Irvine's eyes. He looked little worse for wear, actually more like he was tossed into a rocky beach during a hurricane. She looked at him with confusion and some suspicion. _Why is he in my room? Shouldn't he be with Selphie? _In return, he was looking at her with worry and some hostility. It was about then she realized Selphie was in her room too, along with Quistis, Zell and Natalie, and they were all standing and staring at her. On top of that even, Quistis and Selphie looked like they were in that same hurricane.

Finally, Irvine spoke softly, and the soft buzz in her ears seemed to evaporate. "Are you feeling a little better now?"

Rinoa frowned softly. _Of course... why wouldn't I be?_ She didn't answer but only nodded. She was getting a sickening feeling in her stomach, like she was missing something important here, something horrible. She searched Irvine's eyes and slowly a sense of horror filled her. _Was my dream... oh Hyne no...._ "Irvine... where is Squall?"

Irvine looked at the other occupants of the room for a moment. Natalie shook her head and Zell turned away. Quistis' eyes were hard as stone while Selphie's were almost watering. The petite brunette was playing with something in her hand but Rinoa could not see what it was at the moment. Something, however, was really nagging at her, and the fact no one answered her question made her sense of dread worse. _And this damn headache...!_ "Irvine..." She looked back up into his eyes, then at her friends again.

Irvine sighed. "Rinoa... what do you remember about last night?"

Rinoa looked back at him. At his question, she started thinking about her dream again, and the soft buzzing returned. "I... had a dream... I think... Squall was injured and... and... I..."

Realization hit her right then. Selphie was holding the little box that had Squall's wedding ring. _If the ring is real then was my dream..._ "Oh, Hyne... Irvine, where is Squall?" She pleaded with him. "Is he... Is he..."

The raven-haired woman looked up into Irvine's eyes pleading, hoping and, praying with all her heart that her dream was just that. Even as she did this though, Rinoa somehow felt inside her that it was not just a dream. She felt deep inside her that it was all true, all too real. "Squall...."

Everybody slowly got up and gathered around her bed. They maintained a respectful distance, trying to show their support but not trying to crowd her in. Only Natalie sat down on the bed and pulled Rinoa into a soft hug. It was supposed to be comforting, but Rinoa felt little comfort from the embrace. The quiet buzz seemed to now be all around her, but she could not tell what it was.

Natalie pulled away after a few moments and asked Rinoa what she remembered. As Rinoa told her about what happened, horrified at the level of detail which she was remembering, the buzzing seemed to grow louder once more, before fading away as she started to tell them what she remembered. "... and the last thing I remember was walking up to Squall clutching the box, and falling on my knees crying into his gown."

Irvine and Quistis looked at each other; their expression's unreadable, then at Zell and Selphie. After a moment of dead silence Quistis finally spoke, her voice quiet but penetrating. "Rinoa..." She paused unsure of what to say. "Do you remember anything after that?"

Rinoa frowned and thought harder. The buzzing was growing louder still, and now she could make out that it seemed like quiet whispers. She could not make out any words, impressions, or even gender of the voices, but they seemed to just be a white noise all around her. It was like the entire room was filled with people whispering between themselves. She shook her head hard and that seemed to dim the whispers back into the tiny buzz that it was before. "No I don't... was there more?"

Quistis swallowed and sat down on the bed. "Rinoa are you sure you don't remember more? This is very impor..."

Rinoa cut her off with a snap. The voices had grown again to maddening little whispers. "NO! I don't remember more!" The whispers stopped instantly and she shook her head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap"

Rinoa massaged her eyes and figured this was just part of her being tired. Quistis lay a hand softly on her shoulder. "Rinoa... you don't remember attacking us?" Rinoa slowly looked up at this. "You don't remember assaulting us with magic and blasting everybody in the room until they dropped?"

Rinoa's eyes looked back at Quistis then at Selphie and Irvine. "I... Did I..." Rinoa looked at Zell and Natalie, then back at Quistis. "Great Hyne... oh I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!" She looked at all of them with pleading eyes. Horror at what they said she did was written all over her face and she fully believed it. "But... how? My sorceress powers have been dead for three years."

Irvine shook his head. "They're... hot... again I guess. It was definitely you, and you were blasting us with spells even more powerful then Edea.

Rinoa heard the quiet buzz again and held her head painfully. It was starting to get on her nerves. She winced and tried to block it out but it grew louder again. One voice seemed to stand out more than the others, but she couldn't make out if she ever heard the voice before. _Rinoa... Rinoa! _"Rinoa!"

Rinoa snapped her head back up and looked at Natalie. "Are you alright, hun?"

Rinoa nodded slowly. "Its… I just have a little headache. Don't worry."

She looked at every one of her friends, old and new, gathered in the room and tried her best to smile. "Guys... I... uhh... I have a headache. Could you leave and let me sleep please?"

The truth was she wanted to be alone. Squall's death was becoming horrifyingly clear in her mind again. One by one, each of Rinoa's visitors stood up slowly and left. Selphie looked at the purple box in her hands then set it down on the dresser, incase Rinoa wanted to look at it again. Finally, only Quistis remained in the room staring at Rinoa.

"Rinoa are you sure it's just a headache?"

Rinoa nodded softly. "I just need some rest. Remember every time I used my powers, it drained me?"

Quistis nodded but continued staring at her with an unreadable expression. Rinoa knew she was an excellent judge of character and a very good observer, and Rinoa got the distinct impression she knew she was lying. Rinoa swallowed and tried her best to smile.

Quistis studied her for almost a full minute before turning and leaving the door. Rinoa sighed softly and shook her head. She felt bad about lying to her friends, but at least the maddening whispers stopped for the moment. Rinoa stood up and walked into the bathroom. She splashed some water on her face stared at herself in the mirror. As she looked up, she could have sworn her eyes were an angry gold color, but when she blinked and looked again, they were the normal soft chocolate brown.

Rinoa sighed and muttered "Great... now I'm seeing tricks in light."

Rinoa walked to her dresser and slowly took off her trusty blue duster and hung it. She looked at herself in the mirror again, clad in only her shorts and tank top. _Squall is dead... my god... _She stared at the purple box that was sitting on the dresser, then took off the rest of her clothes and put on her nightgown. She couldn't take it anymore and opened the box, gazing at the ring really for the first time, as the last time she didn't get a really good look before she started crying.

It was breathtaking. Rinoa noticed that the Griever's mouth was actually coming out of the ring unlike on Squall's ring, and had teeth, were the diamond was set. The diamond had the slightest tint of a sky blue, which made it seem more radiant. Slowly, she wrapped her fingers around it and slid it onto her ring finger. It was a perfect fit.

She gazed at it again from this angle and smiled softly before her face melted into tears. She slowly took it off and set it back in its box and closed it. With a sigh, Rinoa switched off the light and climbed into bed. The darkness of her room seemed many times darker than normal and as she shut her eyes, the whispers returned.

* * *

Natalie and the four SeeDs arrived in Natalie's room and sat down in the various couches scattered about. They all were very sullen and dejected, not one smile around, not even a glimmer from Selphie. No one needed to guess what the others were thinking; they all knew. Squall was dead, and Rinoa was acting strangely. 

Zell finally spoke up, very softly, and rubbed the back of his head as he thought. "Maybe tomorrow, after Rinoa's headache is better we should um..."

Quistis shook her head and interrupted. "Rinoa didn't have a headache. "

Five pairs of eyes darted back and forth between each other as each person tried to read the other's expressions. Not one more word was spoken for a very long time.

* * *

Rinoa was falling. At least that is what it felt like. It was pitch black and she could not see or feel anything; anything except the sensation of being weightless. _Yes that's it... I'm not falling; I'm floating like in space! _All around her Rinoa heard the whispers again, but she could not see or feel anything, much less tell where they were. The whispers grew louder and some became just unintelligible muttering. 

From behind her someone called her name, a woman's voice in a desperate call for attention. Another voice, a young girl's, called her name pleading for mercy. A third, a man, called her, with a demanding voice. More and more calls cut through the darkness each with a different tone, but all cutting straight into her mind.

The maddening whispers grew into chatter and the calls became more frequent. Rinoa tried to cover her ears and wince but it didn't help. It was like they were just inside her ears. The chattering grew louder and faster, each call coming now less than a second apart, until one rang through. "Rinoa!" it was a man's voice, but unlike the others, it was kind and gentle, seemingly familiar.

Suddenly she felt different. She was floating, but the sensation was more like being under water than in space. A light appeared in the distance, a bright white light that illuminated her blue duster brilliantly and blazed in her face. "Rinoa come to me!" the voice repeated, still as gentle and strong as before. It sounded familiar, almost... _like Squall's..._

She spread her arms out and kicked and she moved towards the light like she was swimming. She still could not see anything around her, but the voices had dimmed into the whisper and the other's calling her name had been silenced. As she swam nearer towards the light the whispers dimmed into a buzz then finally silent.

She was so close now, the light filled her entire presence, but she still could not see anything. Finally a gloved hand appeared and she reached out and took it. Underneath the glove, she felt a ring, very familiar. _Griever! _She clutched the hand tightly and pulled on it as the rest of the person came into view and she looked into the face of...

A demon. A monster. A horror. Ultimecia. She laughed cruelly and Rinoa instantly let go of her hand and shrank away, suddenly on hard ground. Ultimecia laughed again and reached for Rinoa. Rinoa screamed and sat up in her bed, looking around in her very dimly lit room. _It was a dream... just a dream..._

Rinoa was clutching the sheets to her chest like a teddy bear and slowly lay back down maintaining the vice like grip on it. The room seemed dark as an abyss again, no light anywhere. She could not hear whispers anywhere in her mind or in the room, but Rinoa did not close her eyes at all, staring in horror, and eyes darting around as she lay on her back, her entire body frigidly immobile.

* * *

Author's notes: Okay sorry about the long delay. I hope everybody had a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year. My holiday was a lot busier than I thought. My boss called me into work, I got back to school and had several major issues here, and worse off, I developed a major case of writer's block. Buuuuut the two chapters I was gonna post first are done as you can see and I am very happy on the outcome.

To give you all an update: This story has 5 more chapters on it, and an epilogue. I hope to get out one a week, hopefully ending this in mid march. The next story, _The Awakening_ is already progressing, the prologue done and chapters 1-3 in various states of completion (yea... I must have ADD or something lol) this story is going to be probably twice as long as SOTS and much more in-depth. This was planned as the climatic story of the trilogy, but recent planning over the vacation caused a candle to flash over my head and I have this great new idea for the third story, and I guess its going to be greatly expanded as well, at least being as large as this.

In addition to all this, I have another story well on the way already being co-written by me and a very good friend of mine. It is also FF8 based, and based loosely in the SOTS universe, taking place one year after the story, though it introduces 2 new characters as it's main and barely involves the main FF8 characters at all. It my plan at this point (with the consent of my friend of course) to bring these characters back for the third story of the trilogy in a major role.

On top of that, the beginnings of a FIFTH story idea (yeeep definitely ADD lol) has started taking shape, but I cant give you much info about that... cause I don't got much myself lol. I'm working on it though, but it's on the back burner, SOTS, The Awakening, and my co-authored story taking top priorities.


	20. Chapter 19

Rinoa sighed softly as she drank from her cup of water. She was on a fifteen minute break as Natalie played soft and romantic piano music for the enthralled crowd. Rinoa had broken from tradition so far, singing old songs first. Rinoa found herself unable to summon much spirit in her singing. Squall's death was still bothering her greatly. _Or maybe it's these damn whispers!_ Rinoa squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her head, trying to block out the quiet buzz. She was not sure if it was the whispers that started the night Squall died, or the crowd in the club right now, but they were getting on her nerves.

Rinoa felt strangely detached from Squall's death despite it all. That initial emptiness from right after she felt Squall's fatal wounding seemed to have diminished after her death. She thought about him a great deal, but something inside of her made her feel like he was still alive, somewhere, somehow. _Not making me feel... calling me and telling me. _

"Can I buy you a drink? You look like you could use it. "

Rinoa looked up annoyed then softened as she saw Irvine's friendly face. "Irvine… I thought you were one of my many... admirers. " She rolled her eyes.

Irvine gave her his infamous smile and looked her down. She was wearing a deep burgundy dress with a single inch thick strap which ran over her right shoulder. The dress ran down her chest diagonally front and back, and met there under her arm. At her legs, the dress ended on her left side at the top of her thigh, leaving her left side uncomfortably exposed as the dress traveled diagonally again down to her right knee, tapering off into a point. She could feel Irvine's eyes traveling down and probably using his x-ray vision to see underneath. She felt like covering her chest with her hands but didn't give Irvine the satisfaction. She knew that he would never think about her seriously, even... _No don't think about it! _Irvine shook his head and grinned. "Who says I don't admire you, ma'am?"

Rinoa rolled her eyes again and looked at the crowd. _They seem dumber than I thought. _Usually most of the crowd was goggling at her because they all knew that her father was the President of Galbadia, and she was the easiest way to an alliance with him. _But right now, I'm off stage. Out of sight, out of mind. _The crowd seemed enthralled by Natalie's playing… _and power. _Rinoa sighed softly and shook her head. _How many of them are just imagining an alliance with the CEO of Defiance Industries? _Rinoa massaged her head again. _I should stop thinking of Galbadian politics… it always makes my head hurt. _Rinoa chuckled to herself. _How many of them are drooling over her looks? It's just as good, she's better looking than me, and I don't want people undressing me with their eyes. _

A hand waved in front of her face, snapping her mind back to her company. "Garden to Rinoa… come in Rinoa… you there?"

Rinoa sighed softly and rested her elbow on the table, and her chin in her hand. "Irvine… Did Squall suffer?"

Irvine looked as two drinks were set on the table. _What did that rambunctious cowboy order me? _"He must have a bit. The doctors couldn't anethisize him, but I don't think too much. "

Rinoa shook her head softly. "No, I mean… did he suffer during the last three years?"

Irvine stared at his drink for a moment then took the entire shot down. Rinoa lifted the shot glass and sniffed it. _Whiskey… knowing Irvine probably Crown Royal. _She took the glass and turned it up, but choked as it passed down her throat and almost spit half of it back out. Her nostrils flared and her mind dizzied up before she swallowed the rest.

Irvine chucked at her. "Still can't hold your alcohol?"

Rinoa shot him a warning glance. Irvine quickly turned back to his glass as the bartender refilled it. _He is being very generous with Natalie's money tonight. _"Right sorry…"

Rinoa pointed at her glass too and the bartender filled it as well. "Squall?"

Irvine stared at his drink as he spoke. "Yea… he suffered a lot. When you slammed the door on him, all the china he had just picked up off the floor came shattering down again. Pretty much, you did what Seifer couldn't do. Not even what Ultimecia could do. You broke him. Not just that, you broke him in one swift action. "

Both stared at their glasses then turned them both up at the same time. Rinoa choked again but got it all down at once. The pressure on her mind seemed to be lifting, the buzzing voices disappearing. Rinoa opened her purse and took out the little purple box that held the ring in it. "When…"

Irvine looked at her as the bartender filled their glasses yet again. "When did he decide? When did he buy it?" Rinoa nodded. Irvine stared at the whiskey and thought a moment. "He came to me right after the Christmas party. He was worried mostly about the fact that you two were so young, that he wasn't sure if either of you would be ready for marriage. Quickly though, the issue was how he would propose to you. By the time the New Year's party was over, the two of us had a rough sketch of the plan. We pulled in Zell and Cid, and then Xu, and... Well... the rest is history. "

Rinoa nodded as thunderous applause erupted in the club. Natalie stood up and bowed then looked at Rinoa. Rinoa nodded and turned back to Irvine. "I need to get up there."

Irvine nodded and Rinoa turned to leave, but stopped for a moment. Turning around, she picked up the shot glass and raised it to Irvine. "To Squall."

Irvine nodded solemnly and raised his. "To Squall."

The both downed their whiskey, quickly. Rinoa felt she was getting the hang of that. No burn, no choke, she felt pretty good. She turned around and started to walk towards the stage but suddenly her world was spinning and she felt herself falling. Only a hand wrapping around her arm kept her from being deposited on the ground in a heap, probably to embarrassing results considering the length of the skirt. She turned to her savior and smiled softly at Irvine. "Thanks"

Irvine nodded. "Ya can't take that much whiskey your first time and expect to walk normally there."

Rinoa closed her eyes softly and nodded. She felt 17 again, just when she met Squall, young, carefree. She nodded reminiscently of those times and started slowly for the stage again. Irvine smiled genuinely for the first time in what felt like ages as he watched her go. _Squall you'd be proud of me... I'm smiling at a beautiful woman with no thoughts of what's underneath that there dress of hers. _

* * *

Rinoa climbed up the stage to thundering applause. She bowed, ignoring the whispers of the crowd. Applause continued unabated for almost a minute, and Rinoa rolled her eyes. The crowd stopped their applause and sat down. "Ladies and gentlemen… I know I've broken from my normal routine, tonight, and given you old songs first. This song…" Rinoa stopped for a minute inhaling "This song is dedicated to all of us who have lost loved ones in our lives." 

As far as the meager light from the stage would let her see, almost every member of the audience bowed their head, thinking of their lost loved ones. Rinoa let them have their moment of silence. For once, the crowd seemed docile, like she wasn't what was on most people's minds. _Maybe I should do this more often. _Rinoa nodded to Natalie who played the introductory bars of the song.

_Midnight… not a sound from the pavement_

_Has the moon lost her memory? _

_She is smiling alone_

_In the lamplight the withered leave collect at my feet_

_And the wind… begins to moan._

Rinoa inhaled softly and projected her voice louder, but even more sorrowful than before, letting the thought of all the torture she put Squall through seep into her memories.

_Memory… all alone in the moonlight_

_I can smile at the old days_

_I was beautiful then_

_I remember the time I knew what happiness was_

_Let the Memory… live again_

Natalie's accompaniment turned minor and a little more forceful as Rinoa continued

_Every streetlamp seems to beat a fatalistic warning_

_Someone mutters and the streetlamp sputters_

_And soon it will be morning!_

The music returned to the original theme as Rinoa's voice turned bitter sweet. She remembered everything about Squall, all the fun times, and all the pain after, and now, all the memories that would never be.

_Daylight… I must wait for the sunrise_

_I must think of a new light, and I mustn't give in_

_When the dawn comes tonight will be a memory too_

_And a new day… Will begin!_

Natalie began a solo part as Rinoa stopped and took a breath. The crowd was whispering again... _don't they know that rude!_ Rinoa could not see past the first few people, but she could hear it. She squeezes her eyes shut and shook her head softly trying to block it out, but their chatter seemed to only increase. Even Natalie's music seemed distorted. _Is she plotting with them too? What is going on?_ Rinoa looked at the crowd again.

_Kill them..._

Rinoa blinked. _What? Who was that?_

_Kill them..._

Rinoa shook her head and banished the thought and forcing it down as Natalie stressed a chord. Rinoa looked at her and realized her part was fast approaching. The incessant whispering stopped and her music seemed regular again. Rinoa was not sure what happened, but she was not sure she wanted to know.

_Burned out ends of smoky days_

_The stale cold smell of morning _

_The streetlamp dies and when the night is over_

_Another day is dawning..._

Rinoa opened her windpipe as her voice soared beautifully. A few audience members gasped with pleasure as the song crescendoed to its conclusion.

_Touch me! It's so easy to leave me_

_All alone with memory of my days in the sun_

_If you touch me, you'll understand what happiness is_

_Look a new day... has begun!_

Rinoa held the last note for nearly a minute before tapering off and letting Natalie close the song. Immediately, the crowd erupted in massive applause, but Rinoa did not really notice. The chattering had begun again, and softly, like a voice in the back of her mind, someone was telling her to kill them all. Another voice, somewhere in her mind was calling her, trying desperately to get her attention, and it seemed familiar, but very faint, almost inaudible. Rinoa winced again. _What's happening to me?_

* * *

Irvine watched as the crowd gave Rinoa a standing ovation. She looked like she was taking Squall's death well, despite the last second knowledge of the truth before he died. He was content with that knowledge. _It coulda been much worse for us. She could have been driven mad. _

_Irvine. _

Irvine looked around. A voice seemed to whisper in his ear but no one was anywhere near him. He shook his head and attributed it to the alcohol.

_Irvine._

This time the voice was louder in his mind. He knew it was someone actually in his mind, so he merely thought a message. _Who's there?_

_It is the Guardian of Fire, Ifrit. _

Irvine's world suddenly took on a red tone, and little flames seemed to dance up from people's bodies, including his own. One person however stood out though it all. Rinoa was a veritable pillar of fire. _The sorceress is not well, mortal. She is starting to feel the effects of being knightless. You must help her soon before she is lost to the world. _

Irvine looked at Rinoa again as his vision faded back to normal. No fire seemed to engulf Rinoa, no red tint to the room. _What can I do to help her?_

_Find her knight. _

_Ifrit, ask Shiva and Bahamut. Squall is dead, she has no knight. I doubt she will be able to fall in love again so quickly. _

Ifrit however was silent in his mind. _Ifrit?_

_Find her knight. _

No matter what he tried, Irvine could get nothing else from Ifrit. Someone laid a hand on his shoulder and he spun with a start. Quistis stared at him with concerned blue orbs. "Something wrong?" her voice seemed a bit startled herself.

Irvine stood up. "Ifrit just gave me a warning about Rinoa. He said..."

"... She is starting to feel the effects of being knightless. You must help her soon before she is lost to the world. "

Irvine blinked and stared at Quistis. She stared right back at him as she explained herself. "Shiva just told me the same thing."

Both looked over to the stage as Natalie accompanied Rinoa off for the night. Recorded music started playing softly as the performance ended and the lights came up. Irvine and Quistis looked at each other, and neither of them could doubt what was going through the other's mind right now.

* * *

Author's notes: Yep... I'm a lazy procrastinating bastard lol. sorry bout that. I'm going to work to get chapter 20 up by Wednesday, as its already half done. sigh schoolwork is a pain... and certain computer games are eating up more time than I want them too lol. anyways, no updates on any of the future stories. The song is Memory from Cats by Andrew Lloyd Webber (again lol) as always, i dont own, so dont sue! 


	21. Chapter 20

Two medical orderlies filed through the room moving damaged equipment from the darkened space. A few days earlier, something... unexplained happened here. The doctors and orderlies were knocked out cold, with no recollection of what happened, and the power through the entire hospital was interrupted, putting many people in danger. One orderly had still not recovered. He was babbling something about an angel of death appearing to take one of the patients to the afterlife in the psychiatric ward.

The woman in the room reached to unplug the heart monitor, but a spark from the machine made her jump back. Her blond hair felt like it was in a lightning storm, standing on ends and charged. Suddenly, the machine was running again, and marking the beats of a regular, healthy heart. The two orderlies looked at each other in confusion. "Unplug it."

The blond nurse looked at the power cord and reached to unplug it, but stopped. "This thing is still attached to the patient right? Why would it be regular unless..."

Both looked at the body covered by the blanket. "Carol... I was in here the night this guy died. He had a hole in his chest 2 inches wide. He is as dead as dead can be."

The first orderly looked over at the monitor again, then at her companion before crossing to the body and lifted the blanket. The man seemed almost peaceful despite being dead. She touched the corpse's neck and was surprised by the warmth, then a small throb under her finger. "Then explain why this guy has a pulse."

The other orderly's face shot up in surprise. "What?"

He moved up and pushed her aside a bit more roughly than he should have, and touched the man's neck. "Great Hyne… this guy's alive! I'm going to get Doctor Ellen."

He quickly ran out as the other nurse picked up the clipboard detailing the condition of the patient. She read it through then frowned and pulled the blanket back further and lifted the shirt of the medical gown. Where the hole in this man's chest was supposed to be was pink skin, like a wound freshly unscabbed and healed. No trace of the fatal wound was there at all. The nurse looked at the clip board again and read the name of the patient. _Squall Leonhart. _

* * *

Natalie was sitting in her black leather pants and a white tank top staring across at her Triple Triad opponent with narrow eyes. He was good, really good. She looked at her two remaining cards, a T-Rexaur and her opponent's own card. Tapping her cards with her index finger, she tried to find any way for her to win this. She looked at the board and then at her cards and back again. This was very difficult. Her eyes darted over the floor and suddenly she hit on an idea. She smirked. "Rule change. Removing plus." 

Irvine stared back at her with a quirked eye. They had agreed on 2 small variant rules. First was rule change. For the price of stripping off one article of clothing, they could add or remove one rule from the game. The second one was whoever lost also stripped off two articles of clothing, and if one contender was left naked then had to strip, he or she lost the match and was forced to humiliate themselves in front of the entire party, by marching unclothed into the main suite. Irvine gazed at the floor. Irvine had his hat, chaps, coat, boots, belt socks and shirt on the ground, leaving him with only his pants and boxers, while Natalie had only a jacket and her knee high leather boots on the ground. She was leading, but Irvine was well on the way to winning this game. He had the more powerful cards in his hand and after regaining his own card, would be able to win the next game easily, winning the match. Irvine grinned and nodded, and Natalie stood up stripping herself of her tank top and tossing it on the ground. She leaned back and spread her arms on her easy chair letting Irvine's eyes travel south of her face and over her strapless bra, the only thing giving her modesty still.

Selphie whacked Irvine with a pillow and stared him down. The only way the petite girl allowed this match was that she was there as a judge. She made no claim to impartiality, and had given Irvine several warnings with the pillow. Natalie leaned forward and lay down her T-Rexaur card and flipped the adamantoise card, tying the game. Irvine laughed, and announced. "Rule change, adding plus." Stripping off his pants, he lay down the Shiva card and flipping two cards due to plus and overpowering the t-Rexaur. The Irvine card could only flip the adamantoise card, giving him the win of this game. "I win."

Natalie smirked again. "Rule change, adding chain."

Irvine narrowed his eyes for a moment then widened them in horror. "No!"

Natalie grinned and lay down the Irvine card, flipping the adamantoise which chained and flipped two more. Irvine had lost. "Strip cowboy"

Natalie's grin could light a dark room as she removed her pants and sat back down. Irvine swallowed then stared at Selphie who was gaping with jaw open at the board. Her eyes went up to Irvine then she burst out laughing. "She got you, Irvine. She got you good!"

Irvine's face flushed crimson as he dropped his boxers. "That's match…" his voice was about an octave higher and was dripping with annoyance.

Natalie was shaking her head when the telephone rang. She reached over and picked it up. "Yes?"

Natalie listened as Selphie continued mocking her boyfriend until Natalie's eyes widened. "WHAT!"

Both fell silent and stared at the tall blonde as her jaw slowly dropped and her expression turned more and more shocked. She was sitting straight as a pencil, not caring if Irvine was checking out her chest fully or not at the moment, not that he was. His eyes were fixed intently on her face. "Are you sure?"

Natalie listened intently to the other end of the conversation for another few minutes before saying "Thank you, we will be there immediately."

Natalie sat for a moment stunned and stared at the telephone. "Irvine, get your clothes on now... we need to go to the hospital."

Selphie was up in a second. "Why?"

Natalie looked at them both as she struggled with her leather pants. "No time to explain, just go!"

* * *

Irvine's jaw was literally gaping at the sight. He just could not believe his own eyes. _This is impossible! _As much as Irvine was feeling joy and relief at the sight of one of his best friend lying fully alive and awake, he could not quite bring himself to grasp that Squall was actually alive. "Squall! You're alive? How did that happen? Is your wound healed?" 

Irvine immediately gave himself a mental slap. _Those sound like questions Zell would ask. _Natalie, on the other hand, showed why men think that women were the more intelligent of the two sexes. "Squall! How are you feeling?"

Squall glared at Irvine. "Irvine… the first thing you do when you walk in is ask the three stupidest questions in the world. Hell, I could see ZELL asking those… but you?"

Irvine sighed and rolled his eyes. _He's definitely back to normal already. _"Well at least could you answer Natalie's questions?"

For a moment, Irvine could have sworn he saw Squall genuinely smile, but if Irvine DID see it, it disappeared in a flash and Squall returned to his usual scowl. "I'm ready to get out of this room. They've had me here for over 6 hours and have been poking me with every single instrument I've ever seen in my many stays at a hospital and then some!"

Irvine rolled his eyes and picked up his cell phone. Dialing Natalie's room number, he told Selphie exactly what was happening. Though he anticipated it by pulling the telephone well away from his ear, Selphie's shout of joy pierced into his brain and left him with a headache. _Considering her hyperactivity… she should be here with the entire gang in 10 minutes tops._

Irvine glanced at Squall. "They should be here faster than humanly possible. Squall I have to ask you… Why are you alive? You had a very large hole right in your chest that had ripped a chamber of your heart open. You shouldn't be alive. We watched you die."

Squall glanced down at the medical gown he was wearing. Underneath his gaze was the area where the hole used to be. "It was Rinoa. She did… something… I felt my… soul I guess… detach from my body and about to wander off to Hyne knows where when I heard her call me. I turned and she was there, and suddenly I could see her crying over my body. She cast some sort of spell on my entire body and I felt a strong pull to just… walk back. I did. I've sort of been in a half dream state since then. I felt like I was reliving my entire last few years, but not quite how I remember it."

Irvine frowned at that. "What do you mean?"

Squall thought for a moment and continued. "I was reliving it, but not from my own perspective. It was from Rinoa's I think, because the memory of me rescuing her and our subsequent day long stay on the Rangorok after that kept playing over and over."

Irvine was about to ask a question when shouting came from the hall. "Selphie let go of me!" Quistis voice, normally the serene picture of calm seemed very agitated.

"Come on guys its right there!" Selphie's peppy and bubbling voice called back.

"Dude, Selphie don't pull Quisty right off those heel's of hers... your gonna break her neck!"

The door burst open and a bouncing yellow skirt flew through, followed quickly by a struggling sunset orange dress and vest. Quistis finally was able to wrench her hand out of Selphie's grasp, but any thoughts of yelling at her quickly disappeared when she saw Squall. Her face smiled softly and a tear rolled down her cheek. "Squall... it's true."

Irvine looked confused. "How'd you guys get here so fast?"

Selphie grinned bubbling, but Zell burst into the room before she could answer. "Yo, Squall! You're alive? How did that happen? Is your wound healed?"

Irvine and Squall exchanged a nearly unreadable look and Squall covered his face with his hand as Natalie started chucking to herself. Zell paused trying to figure out what was going on. His eyes narrowed slightly in thought and he rubbed the back of his head. "What?"

The question would remain unanswered, because the last person expected was standing in the door. "Squall?" Rinoa's voice almost begged, not believing her own eyes.

Squall stared at Rinoa and something inside him couldn't help but pull his lips up slightly in a small but very distinct smile. "Rinoa. "

Tears started flowing down her face softly as she very slowly stared to approach him. "Your... you're..."

Rinoa stopped. Memories seemed to flash in her mind. Rinoa saw herself crying on Squall's death bed, and to her horror, she heard and saw herself scream an inhuman cry of anguish. She saw herself hurling lightning bolts at Irvine and casting flares at Selphie. She saw her wrenching Quistis against the wall. Everything that she couldn't remember, all the things which she had only imagined in horror, they were all flashing back now. She covered her eyes as she collapsed, and the voices returned, whispering maddeningly.

* * *

As Rinoa collapsed with an awful scream, pure pandemonium ensued. Squall was up in an instant trying to get to Rinoa. Zell was tackling Natalie and Selphie was casting spells at maddening speed. Irvine was shoving Squall back snapping at him. "Squall, get down!" 

Irvine looked at Quistis with an expression barely readable. Quistis returned the same exact expression. They had discussed what would have to be done if Rinoa went out of control again. Squall again tried to stand and Irvine shoved him back down onto the bed hard. "Squall no!"

Quistis could not concentrate on this at the moment. She had to concentrate her entire energy on something much more draining. She closed her eyes and brought her hand to her head and concentrated hard, digging deep into her mind for a small tingling feeling she usually ignored. Now she focused her mind solely on this feeling, and with a mental finger, poked at it. It was the same, almost poetic rite of summoning every time. _Shiva, I need you. _

_I'm here Child._

_Please come to me, in the physical world._

_For what purpose?_

Quistis paused for just an instant. She was unleashing this awesome power on her friend, most likely to kill her. She had no choice. _To destroy._

With that, the little tingle in her mind turned to an itch, light at first, but growing. No matter how many times Quistis did it, no matter how many times anybody summoned a Guardian; it never could ever be called comfortable or routine. The itched turned into a maddening tingling and numbness throughout her entire body and her mind seemed to have a giant pressure building up in it, not unlike what happens when one dives deep under water. With a gasp, her entire body convulsed and she shot her hands forward, transferring Shiva's being out of her body and into the physical world.

The temperature dropped as ice collected at Quistis' feet. She stepped back weakened as the ice jutted out of the ground seven feet high. Inside slowly, the mist cleared revealing a beautiful, if very scantily clad woman who's golden hair swirled around her. A cloth covered her body and seemed to be the only thing between her and nudity. The Guardian seemed asleep, almost peaceful. Then her eyes opened.

Shiva's body stood tall, shattering the ice around her like glass as she tossed the cloth behind her. Quistis caught it in one hand as Shiva built up her power over her head. Her hands raised up as the power continued to grow. More and more until it was blindingly white.

"NO!"

Squall flew between Shiva and Rinoa and erected a shield. Shiva paused and opened her eyes again, her energy still glowing hot. Squall never had looked more scared in his life. Slowly Shiva lowered her arms as the energy dissipated. "Knight, do your duty for the Sorceress, before it's too late."

Squall nodded and spun shaking Rinoa. "Rinoa? Rinoa? Can you hear me? It's Squall"

She did not respond, not even to the ever more desperate physical contact with her body. Desperate, Squall took her hand and squeezed it whispering. "Rinoa…"

Suddenly Squall's world flashed white. He felt insurmountable pain and he screamed in anguish as his knees hit the floor.

* * *

Okaaaaay... this chapter and the next are a lot more complicated than I thought they would be... and I'm a lazy procrastinating bastard :P sorry bout that, I'm working on chapter 21 right now, actually this chapter would be longer but I though id give you guys a bit of a cliff hanger ;) ummm updates… The sequel to this, The Awakening is coming along very well, chapters are written. 

Oh btw: I was going to put the first blurb where squall was discovered alive, in the last chapter, but my Beta Reader (you might know her from my review board as AnimeDarkAngel) suggested I put it in this one to keep you guys begging for more, so bug her lol

Reviews: Thank you all who are following the story and reviewing. Every time I get a review it gives me a little spur to get going and writing. Keep em up please (and if your reading and now reviewing please do!) oh and while your doing it... tell me what you think of my description of summoning a Guardian. While I was writing this I decided to think about how that would work, and that's what I came up with.

3 chapters + Epilogue left


	22. Chapter 21

Squall's eyes winced against the bright light in his face. no matter where he turned it was as if the light was all around him shining into his eyes His eyes slowly adjusted, and he realized that it wasn't just his eyes, it was the entire area. He was in a bright white room. _No… room isn't the right word – REALM. _All that was there was a bright shining union of colors as far as he could see. There were no walls, no floor even. Squall could feel something under his feet, but he saw nothing under him. Even shadows didn't cast themselves on whatever it was he was standing on.

Looking down at himself he was wearing his usual leather pants and jacket, and a white cotton shirt underneath. His trusty Lionheart gunblade hung on his left hip, attached to the two belts that rested on his waist. Checking his watch, it read 0318 hours and 42 seconds and counting. He shook his head _Where am I?_

He heard an anguished scream behind him and spun. Squinting again, Squall just barely made out a patch of what looked like darkness in this white area. The scream had come right from it. He slowly tested walking, and found despite a lack of visual contact with whatever it was he was standing on, it was solid and he could walk freely on it. His boots did not make an echo or any sort of sound indicting that he was actually walking, nor could he even tell by any change of his surroundings. Whatever he was standing on was very solid, almost like tile or concrete though.

Squall continued walking and felt disoriented. The soles of his boots propelled him forward pushing the "ground", if it could be called that. He would swear he was just floating motionless in empty air if not for the physical sensations of his muscles meeting resistance. He pressed on.

Squall was not sure how long had gone by or how far he had gone. He estimated from the number of steps that he had gone about a quarter mile. The dark patch was more distinct now, but no bigger, just a seeming point off in the distance. Another scream sounded in front of him, and it was definitely closer. Squall broke into a jog then a full fledged run at the dark patch. He ran for miles, he was sure, because he got tired and finally hit the point where his normal excersizes stopped. _Four miles, I've gone four miles. _The dark patch was no closer and he was beginning to wonder if he was imagining it. He slowed to a walk to cool his body down, then stopping completely, bent over to rest his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

Several breaths later he realized there was a soft buzzing in his ear. He cocked his ear and he could hear it better. He couldn't tell what it was, or where it was coming from. In fact it seemed to be coming from all around him. He looked up with an exhausted face to try to find the source but froze. The black patch was now a hole at least as tall as him.

He looked confused at it then around again into the white void. Suddenly it occurred to him where he had seen this before. _In the time compression, after we had defeated Ultimecia. We were in a white void. _Squall stared at the dark patch in front of him and as he watched it seemed to grow again. The buzzing increased in volume in his head and he shook it. Now he could make out faint whispers in the buzzing. He looked up and the black hole in front of him seemed to be inviting him in, beckoning.

A third scream echoed though the void. Squall could not tell how far away it was because it seemed to echo though unseen walls in this white prison. The soft whispers became noticeably more agitated but no louder or more understandable. He picked up his speed again, resuming a light jog at the black void hovering in front of him. The whispers slowly grew louder, and slowly merged into a sea of soft murmurs. They came from all around and seemed to be right next to him, yet no matter where he looked, he saw no source for them, nor could he understand anything being said.

An unknown number of miles later, Squall slowed to a walk again, unsure of what to do. The black void stayed roughly the same size. No matter how far he went before, he did not seem any closer to it. The soft agitated murmur was starting to get on his nerves after hours of listening to it. He looked at his watch again and was more distressed. It read 0321 hours and 14 seconds, counting. _That's impossible! I've been going for hours, what the hell is this place?_

Another scream echoed from in front of him, only instead of a monosyllable shout, it was a plea. "Help!"

Squall's heart flipped. He knew that voice. "Rinoa! Rinoa! Where are you?"

"Help!"

Squall broke into a dead run again, sprinting as fast as he could and pushing himself well beyond his normal endurance levels. _Rinoa is in trouble. I have to… what's that?_ Squall stopped and stared into the black void, which seemed to be all in front of him now. Half this universe was pitch black, the other half was white as the sun shining on new fallen snow. This did not concern him however.

In the blackness, Squall could make out a shape huddled there. It was light blue and had matching cloth on its wrists. Raven black hair fell all around and hid a face, which was buried in small feminine hands. Squall instantly recognized her. "Rinoa!"

Rinoa looked up at him. She was only feet away, but she did not seem to see him. She just looked blankly like she wasn't focusing. Squall's eyes widened in horror. Rinoa's eyes were a furious burning gold and the veins in her skin were burning red under her white skin. The whites of her eyes were blood red, and her lips could not stop trembling. She looked almost at him then jerked her head another direction, then another.

Squall tried to step towards her, but suddenly he felt something resisting his movement. He stepped back and brought his hand out. About half way extended, it seemed to encounter a thick resistance. It wasn't a wall, because his hand could still move through it, but it took noticably more effort to move his hand. He could identify nothing there which could explain this phenomenom.

Squall's mind could still hear the agitated murmurs and mutterings all around him. He closed his eyes and pushed them out of his mind for the moment. He needed to concentrate on Rinoa. They were still there, but his focus was centered now, not floating around trying to find the source of the whispers. "Rinoa"

Her eyes turned to him again, and Squall felt sickened. They still did not focus, and she seemed more frightened. "Squall"

Squall stuck his hand deeper into the unknown substance resisting his hand. "It's me, Rinoa."

Her face softened for a moment as her eyes melted back into their natural chocolate brown color. Her skin seemed to mellow out and loose the red lines burning under her skin. Then the whispers spiked in their agitation again. Her eyes flashed back to their burning angry gold and she turned away from him. "Get away from me! Get away from me!"

She stood and seemed to try to swim away from him. Squall tried to push into this substance but Rinoa shouted again. "Get away from me!"

Her hand shot up and sprayed lightning at him. Squall instinctively jumped back and pulled his hand out of the substance. He felt no wash of lightning similar to what he felt when Edea or Ultimecia cast Thundaga on him. The spell seemed to just end at the point where his hand encountered the increased resistance. It fizzled there and stopped as Rinoa finished casting the spell.

Rinoa curled up into her ball again and Squall tenatively approached her. He hit the resistance again and pushed through it completely, testing a theory and using his arms to propel himself like he was swimming. It worked and he was swimming towards Rinoa. He tenatively tested his breathing right inside and found it unimpared. He slowly moved with easy strokes at Rinoa as she remained still.

Slowly, Squall reached his hand out to her, pausing just inches away from her shoulder, and whispred loud enough for her to hear, but not enough to startle her – he hoped. "Rinoa?"

Rinoa looked up again with a start and tried to move away from him instantly. Squall tried to grab her shoulder but missed. Instead he took her arm and jerked her back towards him harder than he meant to. She tried to jerk away her arm but he used his other hand to grab it and squeezed hard. "Rinoa, don't"

She struggled for another moment before her hand wrapped around his and started squeezing something. _What is… The Griever ring?_ Her fingers felt around it and traced the roaring lion on top of it. Her eyes slowly melted into its normal beautiful chocolate color. He had told her once that the thing he liked to look at the most was her eyes. They seemed to be something in them that just drew him to her. He lost himself into her gaze for more seconds than he should have, but he could not help it. Her veins seemed to dim again and her eyes cleared up as a single tear rolled down her eye. "Squall?"

Squall nodded slowly. "It's me, Rinoa"

Her eyes slowly focused on him and a quiet smile blossomed on her lips as tears started streaming down her eyes. "Squall…."

Her arms slowly wrapped around his neck like it was completely natural, and despite years of not being hugged like this by her, his arms immediately wrapped around her waist and crawled up her back hugging her tightly. "Rinoa… I'm here, nothing can harm you"

Rinoa hugged him tightly and buried her face in his shoulder. He heard a few sobs coming from her and imagined, like so many times in the past, that the fur lined collar was being used as a makeshift tissue. He ran his gloved hand into her hair slowly and held her close, relishing in this touch which he missed so much.

The whispering around him grew again and she pulled back in terror covering her ears and collapsing back into that little ball. Squall stepped forward to grab her again but moved nowhere. He remembered he needed to swim and started kicking with his legs. As he approached her he took a quick look around and noted that the universe had shifted black as night, with the white area that he was in before occupying only a small part of the horizon now.

* * *

Irvine watched through the window as the sun set. Squall had been like that for nearly 10 hours. Shiva was pacing too. She was having trouble staying in this realm and more than once Quistis had to re-summon her. He watched her as she paced now, leaving small patches of ice on the ground. "How much longer can this take?" 

Shiva shook her head. "I don't know. Time is not the issue here even. "

Irvine frowned. "What does that mean?"

Shiva spoke softly. "In a sorceress' mind, with dozens to hundreds of memories of past people, time can be blurred. Trust me... I know."

Irvine stared at the couple. If he didn't know what was going on, he might say it looked cute that they were sleeping huddled on the floor like that. Now... he was just afraid. Waiting was never a soldier's favorite activity and this was just agony.

* * *

Squall bent down and took her shoulders softly. She kept chanting "Make it stop… please make it stop" as she held her ears. Squall frowned and lifted her chin. "Make what stop? The whispers? Can you hear the whispers?" 

Rinoa's sob broken voice babbled on. "Stop the voices… please… in my head… stop them."

Squall checked his watch. It now read 0324 hours, yet he was sure about 3-4 hours had passed. Fuzzy memories of the hospital room fluttered back into his mind. _Shiva, my friends preparing to fight Rinoa… what's happened? _Squall figured if he had been here for what seemed like hours, Rinoa probably was too, and the volume of the whispers was probably driving her crazy by now. "Rinoa come with me"

He took her hand and pulled her swimming towards the bright white light. Rinoa jerked back. "No! You hurt me enough you bastard! What did I do to deserve you cheating on me!" She started swimming away from him and Squall chased her. "Rinoa!"

Suddenly a white flash broke out and the voices stopped whispering. He was suddenly standing on the train platform of Balamb. He looked around and people mingled through the station and out in the street. A sharp whistle sounded and Squall jumped and looked up to find a train there. Inside the train, staring at him through the window was Rinoa.

She stared back at him with the window half way down. "Please Squall, I can't take it anymore! You don't love me, just admit it and let me go!"

Squall's heart sunk as he thought back to the day three years ago when she had left. He made it into the train station as it was pulling away, not spoken to Rinoa like this. "Rinoa please! Talk to me! What did I do to make you think I don't love you?"

The train started moving and Squall bolted into a run to keep up with it. Rinoa gazed down at him. "Please… just… it hurts too much. I can't take it anymore!"

The train sped up and Squall started sprinting trying to keep up. Squall shouted over the thrum of the train. "Rinoa! What did I do!"

Suddenly, everything flashed again and he was standing in the secretary room of the Garden Administration floor. _Wait a second… this is before renovation. My office isn't even built yet!_ Rinoa was standing in front of Squall's desk with her head hung low. "You said you would be working late again with Xu. I just came up to see if I could help you speed things up a bit. You weren't here"

The scene flashed again and they were standing in a dormitory hall. A door just around the corner opened and then closed. Squall felt the eerily disturbing sensation of seeing himself walk out the door. _Xu's door. I was… Hyne no! _Rinoa was sobbing with her back to the wall around the corner out of Squall's sight. He watched as what he could only think of as his younger self walk by, not turning to look down the hallway and see Rinoa standing there watching him with teary eyes. "Rinoa, no! That's…

Rinoa cut him off with a hiss. "You were cheating on me, Squall, with your own secretary! I never thought that you of all people would fall into a relationship like that. Then again, I suppose that's what I get. Not one promise of marriage and not one sign you even wanted to marry me!"

Rinoa stormed off through the hallway. Squall remembered that this was days before Rinoa's birthday and that she had not come back that night. She had told him that she had gotten stuck in Balamb for the night. _She probably ran there and cried all night._ "Rinoa… please… I was in there…"

Rinoa cut him off again. "Don't bother trying to tell me about this B.S. about a surprise party. Irvine couldn't convince me."

Squall watched as Rinoa started running. His mind whirled as he thought about all the work that went into decorating the ballroom. Suddenly the scene flashed and they were in the room. Squall looked a bit surprised but not as surprised as Rinoa as she watched younger versions of Squall, Zell, Irvine, and Xu decorating the room. Xu slapped Irvine's buttocks softly and winked at him before whispering. "Tonight, my room?"

Irvine grinned and winked back. "As soon as ol' grump leaves."

Squall's younger self sighed and turned to them. "If you two want to pretend to work, could you at least tell me why the hell we have light blue napkins?"

Xu chuckled and spun to face Squall's younger self. As she did so, Squall saw Xu slip her hand under Irvine's jacket. _So that's why Irvine squeaked like that…_ "Of course, Squall. Her duster and wristbands are the same color. It's a fairly logical assumption she likes it right?"

His younger self sighed. "Women…"

Xu and Irvine chuckled "Xu, ya better get to your room first."

Xu nodded and walked out. Irvine grinned as she walked out then wrapped his arm around the alter-Squall's neck. "Yanno sumfin, Squall? Women are like that. Ya gonna have to live with it if you want to marry her."

Rinoa's face widened in horror. "NO! LIES!" She spun and ran out the room and Squall ran after her, letting history, or whatever that was, take its course. Squall quickly caught up with Rinoa and grabbed her arm. "Rinoa…"

The scene flashed again and they were on the balcony, where the two had talked a few weeks ago. Squall could hear Rinoa's singing rising slowly through the hotel that told him they had some time before their… other selves… would be walking through the door. Rinoa turned to Squall but kept a healthy distance from him. "Squall, I told you here to stay away from me remember? I don't want you anywhere near me."

Squall walked over to the railing and leaned over onto it. "Rinoa, I remember before I…. Died…" Squall still had more than a little trouble wrapping his mind around the concept that he actually died. "I remember you had a ring box in your hands. I recognized it, because I had spent hours staring at it. What was in it?"

Rinoa looked down at her feet with her hands folded behind her back and dug her right heel into the ground. "I… it was a ring."

Squall continued staring out at the garden which he didn't notice in much detail the last time he was here. "Who's ring?"

Rinoa looked up at him and thought for a moment. "It was… your ring… you were going to give it to me."

Squall turned his back to the breathtaking scenery behind him. "You said before that I never gave you a sign that I wanted to marry you. You were holding it in your hand."

Rinoa looked at her hands for a moment then at Squall's face before turning away from him. The door opened and the Rinoa that was actually supposed to be here slowly strode onto the balcony and leaned against the railing, gazing into the orchard below. That Rinoa stared right past the arguing couple on her way without so much as even a sign that she saw them there.

The Rinoa not supposed to be here sighed and joined her counterpart staring over the railing. Squall looked at the sight with even more discomfort. Not only was Rinoa there, but there were two Rinoas, doing exactly the same thing and with the same expression on their faces. All this was starting to wear on his nerves but he didn't let himself loose control. Squall wondered idly how long it would be before his own counterpart joined the party here and started the conversation he remembered.

He turned and gazed out at the garden as well before turning to face the two Rinoas. "What is this anyways? How are we seeing the past and ourselves here?"

The Rinoa he could interact with shook her head and looked down, while the Rinoa who was supposed to be here continued gazing out at the scenery. "I don't know… I…"

At that moment, the door opened and the Squall that was supposed to be here walked in. "Squall, go away please. I don't want to talk to you"

Squall turned to face himself. He knew what he was thinking at that instant and the Rinoa that was not supposed to be here turned as well. "Rinoa, why?"

Squall strode idly towards his counterpart staring himself in the eye. _I was not there last time, and he can't see me. I don't even know what this is. _Squall waved a hand in front of his alter ego's face and got no response, which did not surprise him. The Rinoa he could interact with walked away from the railing. "Squall, I already told you once, I don't even need to repeat myself." She pointed to her alter ego.

"Why what, Squall?"

Squall listened to every detail of the conversation again and remembered trading thoughts with Rinoa in her mind. urst of energy he tried to direct his thoughts into the mind of the Rinoa he had been conversing with, but she did not even look like she was paying attention. _Why isn't she getting it? It wasn't a fluke. _

_Calm down, Squall._

Squall looked up at the Rinoa he could interact with as their alter egos continued their conversation. _You can hear me?_

_Yes._

_What is this?_

_I'm guessing something to do with my sorceress powers, though you're the only one that can hear me. _

Squall considered. _Rinoa… the Knight of the Sorceress is supposed to protect her body AND mind. It would make sense if a Knight could hear his Sorceress' thoughts wouldn't it?_

Rinoa considered. _You're not my Knight. I de-knighted you three years ago._

Squall couldn't help but chuckle softly at this. _How, may I ask? Do you know how to de-knight someone? Have you done it before? Is it even possible?_

Rinoa turned to him and her eyes flashed gold. "Don't you dare try to mock me."

The other Rinoa heatedly shouted nearly with her. "I don't care what you say Squall, I don't EVER want to see you... OR FEEL YOU... again!" then stormed out of the balcony area, leaving his other self quite alone. Squall felt alone himself suddenly, maybe a reflection of this, or maybe because he still acutely felt this memory in his mind.

Squall shook his head. "Rinoa I lost you once, I'm not going to loose you again. I know somewhere inside you, you know all this isn't real. You told me before." He closed his eyes and concentrated completely on one point in time which he thought he could use to convince Rinoa. When he opened his eyes he was still on the balcony. He quirked his head and wondered if he was forcing it. He relaxed and suddenly the entire scene flashed again. He smiled gently. _It worked. _

Rinoa was standing in the field of flowers outside Matron's house. _If I've done this right, yet another Rinoa, Quistis, and I should be walking in right... _Before Squall finished that thought, the three walked in. Rinoa turned and watched the three walk in. The conversation happened exactly as he remembered it, down to the very last detail, and the promise. Squall kept an eye on Rinoa as she re-watched this distant memory, almost 4 years old now, one that Squall had kept close in his heart. As Squall's younger self spoke his promise, Squall quietly repeated it, but loud enough that Rinoa could hear it.

Rinoa looked down at her feet as the two younger versions of themselves walked out of the field, ready to go meet Laguna and his friends in Esthar. Rinoa's voice was very quiet but audible. "Squall, what do you want?"

Squall paused a moment. "I want you to trust me again. You did once, and I am sorry I was so afraid before, but I never cheated on you, not with Xu or anybody else. We're trapped here, and unless you're hiding something from me, neither of us knows how to get out of here. "

Rinoa shook her head and the scene faded to the black universe that they had started in as she covered her face with her hands and fell onto her knees. "All I want is freedom. A world without any of this dark unending night."

Squall heard the faint whispers starting again. They seemed right with them yet so far away. He knelt down and pulled Rinoa into his arms. "Let me be your shelter and your light. I'm here with you, and I will guard you and guide you if you let me."

She looked up at him. "Squall... I know you're a military man. Do you swear on your honor? Promise me that all you say is true."

Squall nodded. Rinoa smiled and reached out her hand to him. Squall held his own out and slowly took hers in his gloved hand. Rinoa felt his Griever ring under his glove and stood slowly with his help. Hand in hand they walked back towards the white realm slowly, hindered by the seeming watery resistance, and stepped through the barrier.

* * *

Squall woke with Rinoa at the same time. They looked at each other and then up at the other people. Rinoa smiled and nodded and stood up with them. With a quiet smile, Rinoa turned to Squall and embraced him, and Squall quickly followed suit. Everybody let out a collective sigh of relief, even Shiva who was still in the human realm. With a gust of cool air, she closed her eyes and slid back into the ground surrounded by ice. As she did so, she looked at Squall with her cool eyes and smiled. Squall squinted as a light flashed in his eyes. Covering them he looked out to see the sun rising.

* * *

Authors notes: Well here is Chapter 21 a week late :P sigh... I'm a lazy procrastinating bastard for sure lol. I'm working hard on 22 and I still have it as a goal to finish the story by this weekend though its looking like that's going to slip. Random Reader: I'm way ahead of you ;) Anyways this chapter might not make sense totally, and its not supposed to, I'll let you guys figure out why. ;)


	23. Chapter 22

Rinoa was sitting in the hotel bar just a few minutes before she was due on stage. Squall was back from the hospital and they had spent a few hours talking. They even spent a half hour trying a mental conversation, though that was much more difficult. Still with all this, every moment there was uncomfortable tension between sorceress and knight. Neither was sure exactly how far the other wanted to take their new relationship, and each knew that the other was thinking it, but was very afraid of bringing up the subject. Squall even tried to hide it from her, but she could still sense it.

Rinoa sighed. That was not the only thing adding to the tension between them. Since Squall had returned from the hospital three days ago, they had shared dreams together in various places, making what should have been a restful and stress relieving break from the anxiety between them instead turn into even longer lengths of time spent looking at their feet when they both wanted to touch each other.

Rinoa couldn't stand it anymore. She could sense that Squall was upstairs, trying to avoid her. She had a plan to end the tensions, ironically, by doing what she had done 4 years ago. She was going to give Squall a choice right now. She was going to give him an opportunity. She was going to give him a chance to right all the wrongs that had been done on both sides 3 years ago.

But first, she needed to get Squall down here.

A very familiar presence sat down on the bar stool next to her. "Hey, Suga"

Rinoa glanced up at Irvine and smiled softly at him. "Hi, Irvine."

Irvine ordered whiskey and looked at her. She was wearing her old short beige dress that had started the whole ordeal between her and the Lion of Balamb. Irvine could see why Squall would have fallen in love with Rinoa if his first memory of her was this dress. Then again Squall's mind worked very different from his. He wondered if Squall would even notice that. "Hoping to conjure up old memories?"

Rinoa couldn't help a shadow of a smile. "You hush. Besides… it's not like I can even fit in this dress anymore. I mean look at it!"

Irvine gave her another look over. As always, Irvine could not see anything wrong with the way the dress looked on her. He never understood why women imagined they were fat or so worried about every last fine detail of their looks. "Well, I can't really tell but if ya think you look fat, you can just take off the dress."

Rinoa smiled and shook her head for a moment before the full reality of Irvine's words sunk in. _That damn playboy! No wonder Selphie complains about him constantly! _Rinoa watched as Irvine took another shot of whiskey and smirked evilly. Right as he was about to take a sip, she pointed at the class and the whiskey froze over right inside. Instead of pouring into his mouth as expected, the entire block just slid out of the cup and right into the cowboy's nose.

Irvine quickly brought his head back upright and watched the block of frozen whiskey clank to the floor. He stared befuddled for a moment as Rinoa stood up and pat his cowboy hat. "It's alright, Irvine, I'll overlook that comment… this time." She pointed at the point on his jacket where the back split off into the two coat tails and smirked again, casting a low level thunder spell at his rear end and causing him to jump a foot in the air clutching his rear.

Rinoa laughed softly "If you want, me to stop that, you will find Squall and get him down here."

Irvine spun and looked at her with annoyance written all over his face but bit back any comment as Rinoa raised her finger in a manner that Squall would have recognized in an instant. It was the same way that she had pointed when Squall had first laid his eyes on her. This meaning however was totally different when a small ball of flame appeared over her pointer finger. At only an inch in diameter, it did not appear particularly threatening, but Irvine knew different. His mouth quickly closed, cutting off any retort and he silently went off in search of Squall.

* * *

Applause, predictably, erupted full swing as Rinoa stepped on the stage. She looked out at the crowd but could not sense Squall among them. She couldn't actually see past the first set of tables because the room was darkened, but her reawakened sorceress powers let her sense and even touch the minds of everybody in the room. In fact it was growing disturbingly easy to stretch that even further. The young sorceress understood how Edea manipulated so many people 4 years ago in this very city, just blocks away at the presidential palace. 

Rinoa searched more frantically, pushing her mind's senses outward as the applause continued. She looked at Natalie, sitting in yet another flamboyant, skin tight, and fairly revealing dress. The tall blonde returned the stare and Rinoa shook her head and swallowed softly. They had discussed this before coming on stage. Rinoa wanted Squall in here before she stared but incase he didn't come, they had also prepared other songs for tonight.

Rinoa felt a familiar mind descending the stares and she breathed a sigh of relief. _He's here. _She smiled and nodded to Natalie who smiled in return and opened her folder and pulled out a set of music. The crowd's cheering had, if anything, grown even louder despite the long wait and Rinoa truly wondered what exactly they were cheering. Natalie started her song and Rinoa tracked Squall mentally as she started singing.

Every night in my dreams 

_I see you, I feel you_

_That is how I know you go on_

_Far across the distance_

_And spaces between us_

_You have come to show you go on_

Rinoa pushed her voice louder and more clearly, cresendoing higher as her voice rose.

Near, far, wherever you are 

_I believe that the heart does go on_

_Once more you open the door_

_And you're hear in my heart_

_And my heart will go on and on_

Rinoa could sense Squall's attention focusing on her and smiled. She focused her attention on the shadow which she knew was squall and began singing again.

_Love can touch us one time  
And last for a lifetime  
And never let go till we're gone _

Memories of the times she spent with Squall flashed through her mind, and she could sense Squall thinking about them too. She could not see which ones he was seeing mostly, however one particularly strong picture flashed in her mind. The two dancing in Balamb on their first meeting. They never spoke a word after the dance started, but it affected both of them deeply.

_Love was when I loved you  
One true time I hold to  
In my life we'll always go on _

As Rinoa continued to sing, she felt herself uplifted. Suddenly, it felt like a huge weight was taken off her shoulders, and Squall felt the same way. Both of them had concentrated on the moment that Rinoa left for so long, and the regret and all the bad choices made leading right up to it. They didn't think much about the dance, about their adventure together or lying in the Quad on a sunny day, her in his arms and just enjoying the breeze and the other's company.

_Near, far, wherever you are  
I believe that the heart does go on  
Once more you open the door  
And you're here in my heart  
And my heart will go on and on _

Rinoa smiled as Natalie played a small solo segment

_There is some love that will not go away _

She had not sung that, but instead thought it to Squall, opening her mind enough that he could sense and hear the thought, then closed it off before she could betray the rest of the plans for the night.

_You're here, there's nothing I fear,  
And I know that my heart will go on_

Rinoa smiled and let her voice soar into new heights, feeling a joy and contentment coming from both Sorceress and Knight as somehow, without actually speaking, the walls between them broke down. He had missed her too, very badly, and she would never make the same mistake. Hyne had been so kind as to give her a second chance, and on top of that, a blunt, foolproof way for both of the two stupid lovebirds to get everything right. Everything _WAS _right, down to the scar on the face of the man she loved with all her heart. It took her three years and the most painful separation of her life to realize it, but she loved him.

_We'll stay forever this way  
You are safe in my heart  
And my heart will go on and on _

She finished the song with a great passion, not one born from sadness this time, but from the new feeling of freedom. Applause immediately erupted and didn't abate for more than three minutes. Finally, Rinoa interrupted it, speaking into the microphone as she took it off the stand and held the object in her hand. "Ladies and gentlemen, as most of you are aware, my mother used to sing in this bar. The anniversary of her marriage to my father is coming up soon and..."

Applause erupted again and a man stood up bowing. Rinoa's face went pale. Even in the dim light, she could recognize the President of Galbadia. Her father. She swallowed hard and continued on, her voice a touch hoarse as her father sat back down. "... and I would like to sing a song by her. In fact, the first song she ever wrote. She dedicated it to someone very special in her life, and I would like to do the same. Ladies and gentlemen, _Eyes on Me _By Julia Heartily."

Applause erupted again as Natalie began playing. Rinoa took in a breath and began singing, softly at first.

_Whenever sang my songs,  
__On the stage, on my own  
__Whenever said my words,  
__Wishing they would be heard_

_I saw you smiling at me,  
__Was it real or just my fantasy  
__You'd always be there in the corner  
__Of this tiny little bar_

Rinoa smiled as the lights were raised a bit. She could barely make out Squall's face, and it didn't take her special connection with him to know he was very surprised. She had arranged this in advance, and Zell was working the lights. Squall wasn't the only one who could plan surprises.

_My last night here for you  
__Same old songs just once more  
__My last night here with you  
__Maybe yes, maybe no_

_I kind of liked it your way  
__How you shyly placed your eyes on me  
__Did you ever know that had mine on you?_

Rinoa began pacing the stage a bit, smiling as she gazed right at Squall. She had closed her mind even more. Squall was not getting so much as an emotion from her at the moment, just her words sung and a seductive gaze with her chocolate brown eyes. She could literally feel his gaze sweeping over her. She had his full attention now and he was definitely having a few nostalgic thoughts.

_Darling so there you are  
__With that look on your face  
__As if you're never hurt  
__As if you're never down _

As she sung, she rested her hand on the piano, and slowly wrapped her left hand around a small purple box sitting there unnoticed by the crowd.

_Shall I be the one for you?  
__Who pinches you softly but sure  
__If frown is shown then  
__I will know that you are no dreamer_

As Natalie played the solo portion she slowly stepped off the stage. She silently thanked the hotel for the cordless microphone as she very slowly strode over to Squall. She felt her heart thundering, knowing that her 'special someone' would be revealed to everybody, including her father. She did not care; he was worth everything to her.

Putting a sexy sway in her hips as she walked over, she smiled softly, half a pleasant smile and have a seducing smile, letting him know she had grown in the last three years and he was getting more of a tiger back. She closed the distance and walked right up to him, microphone in her left hand.

_So let me come to you  
__Close as I want to be  
__Close enough for me..._

Rinoa brought her right hand up and rest it on Squall's chest, right over his heart.

_To feel your heart beating fast_

Rinoa smiled up at him a bit wider and trailed her hand down off his chest then took the microphone with her right hand and slipped her left hand to his pocket, depositing the purple box that had been hiding there in the dim light back into his possession.

With that done her hand started wandering up his side and along the sleeve of his right arm, feeling the well toned muscles underneath.

_And stay there as I whisper  
__How I loved your peaceful eyes on me_

_Did you ever know that I had mine on you?_

Rinoa spun quickly, almost making it look like she had rejected Squall, and started walking back with the same slow steps, the same sway in her hips and returned to the stage as she sung

_Darling so share with me  
__Your love if you have enough  
__The tears if you're holding back  
__The pain if that's what it is_

_How can I let you know  
__I'm more than the dress and the voice?  
__Just reach me out and  
__You will know that you are not dreaming_

Rinoa walked back onto the stage and spun facing the crowd again as the lights dimmed. Zell did a great job. She glanced over at Natalie who smiled back at her. Zell would get his reward soon enough.

_Darling so there you are  
__With that look on your face  
__As if you're never hurt  
__As if you're never down _

Rinoa focused her eyes on the shadow that she knew was Squall and sang right to him. Murmurs had spread quietly through the crowd, and she knew some of the more influential members of her father's circle were already making their way to him jealousy on their minds. She did not care.

_Shall I be the one for you?  
__Who pinches you softly but sure  
__If frown is shown then  
__I will know that you are no dreamer_

Rinoa ended the song and applause erupted, not as loud as normal, as some of the members of the audience were clearly not happy, but the rest were ecstatic with their joy and showed it. Rinoa bowed and stepped off the stage, Natalie close behind.

* * *

Authors notes: Well here this chapter is, the story is being pushed to 24 chapters + epilogue cause this chapter got longer than I thought. So you guys get more wait ;). 

Queen Adreena, thank you for pointing that out. The first thing I'm doing after this story is done is going back and using the skills I've gained in formatting and my beta readers and going to go through this story word by word and correct all those little grammar mistakes and spelling errors in it.

BTW everybody, if you want chapters faster... LEAVE REVIEWS! (lol)


	24. Chapter 23

Squall watched Rinoa walk out of the stage and stared at Irvine. One look at the cowboy's shocked face showed that he had no prior knowledge of this. However, Zell walked back in with a very obvious grin on his face and walked up to Squall immediately. "You like the show today?"

Squall sighed and took a gulp of his beer before setting it down. He did not respond to Zell's comment and instead took out his wallet, tossing a 50 Gil bill on the counter and walking quickly away. Zell was hot on his heels babbling. "Come on, Squall. She has it out for you. What more could you ask for?"

Squall grabbed his fellow SeeD and dragged him up the stairs quickly throwing him against the wall and whispering harshly. "Would you keep your voice down for Hyne sake? Didn't you see President Caraway being approached by at least three noble men during the performance?"

Zell stared wide eyed at him and shook his head. "No I was working the lights. I couldn't see it very well."

Squall sighed and shook his head. "Zell, things are a lot more complicated than 'she has a thing for me'." Squall looked like he was going to go on, but instead, he only sighed.

Zell rubbed his head for a moment considering. "Man, that really sucks." Silence reigned for a few more seconds before a spark of an idea hit Zell. "Rinoa went to a secluded place so you could talk with her. She didn't tell me where, but she said she talked to you there twice, and she wanted to take back something she told you there both times."

Squall's mind instantly rang a bell on what he was talking about. _Is he talking about the balcony where she told me to stay away from her? _He shook his head. "Zell, I have no clue where she is, or what she wants."

Zell chuckled. "She thought you might. She also told me she picked up a bit of pick pocketing over the last few years."

Squall jumped realizing that she was right next to him for several seconds, and his attention was totally fixed on her face and her presence… not her hands. The same was probably true for everybody else in the bar! He quickly checked his pockets as Zell chuckled and walked away and found his wallet still there.

Squall suddenly stopped and thought a moment. _Why would she steal my wallet? _He gave all his pockets a thorough search. When he got to his jacket pocket, he found something. Not something missing, but something added. He withdrew a small purple box that he immediately recognized. _I threw this out the window… three years ago? How did she get…? Damn that cowboy._

Slowly, Squall opened it and suddenly understood everything. The entire show tonight was designed to give Squall a chance to do what circumstances had not let him do three years earlier, and she was waiting for him to do it. With that, he set off for the balcony.

* * *

Rinoa was leaning against the balcony for quite a while now. She was more than a little worried that Squall didn't actually get the message, despite the precautions she took. She shivered. It was a touch cool outside, and her skin was more bare than covered thanks to the dress' skimpy nature. _Why did I wear this to the damn Ball anyway? It's not like I was going to be able to seduce Cid with my body._

She sighed and shook her head. _I was a pretty stupid and naïve girl back then wasn't I? Squall is really a saint to be able to put up with me like that. Come to think of it, could I BLAME him for not wanting to commit to me? He did want to though, and Hyne bless his cold…_ Rinoa's thought cut off in mid sentence as the door behind her opened. By accident, she immediately stretched her mind out and found it was the person she wanted. Their thoughts merged for a second, before she shut him out again. _Great, the gig is up._

Slowly she turned around to Squall and smiled sweetly and just a bit seductively as she leaned back onto the railing, putting special emphasis on the curves of her body. _What the hell am I doing! I don't need to seduce Squall! _Squall certainly noticed it and stopped cold, a look she had never seen on his face before spreading like a crack in an ice covered lake. _Was it shock?_

Rinoa quickly straightened and walked towards him. Suddenly she realized her hips were swaying a bit more than regular, or at least to her perception. She inwardly winced. _This is not going well at all._ Squall for his part did his best to be unfazed, but Rinoa could see and feel his eyes moving south of her face, which did not bode well for what she wanted.

Rinoa stopped about a foot from Squall and they just stared at each other for a moment. Rinoa bated her breath waiting for Squall to say something, and then almost slapped her forehead. _Who am I kidding? Squall starting a conversation? Not unless Irvine got him a brain transplant. _Rinoa took in a breath then immediately expelled it out with total shock

"Rinoa..."

_Was Squall trying to start a conversation!_

Squall looked down and fidgeted with his hands for a few seconds but then he did speak up again. "Rinoa, are you still mad about... whatever it was that you were mad about three years ago?"

Rinoa couldn't help but give a small smirk. _If I didn't know him better, I might have been offended by that. As far as attempts by Squall to make conversation go, it's good I suppose. _

_Rinoa... what the hell is going on?_

Rinoa's eyes widened in shock. She was not blocking out her mind to him. Rinoa swallowed gently. "Squall, I've come to realize that I was dead wrong about leaving you three years ago. Everything... the way I left, why I left, who I left, where I left, it was all wrong. I know..."

Rinoa broke off and looked down. Now that the time was upon her to say this, she could not. She was too afraid. She swallowed and wondered how she could have made it through the entire adventure they went through four years ago yet not be able to say these simple words. _It's not like this is difficult compared to facing and destroying the greatest threat to the world in the last 30 years. _

_You think YOUR end is difficult?_

_Damn it, Squall, get out of my mind, were supposed to TALK things out, not THINK things out. Besides, you could use a little verbal communication skills, Mr. Whatever._

Squall glowered at her. _Is he blushing? _Rinoa examined his face. It was really hard to tell but she could actually swear he was blushing. _Oh, Hyne! This is priceless!_

"Rinoa…"

Squall's voice was a few shades more threatening than any tone she had ever heard him use with Zell, which was showing how annoyed he really was. Rinoa could literally hear his mind mumbling incoherently but dangerously. Rinoa's soft smile turned grin melted all that in a heartbeat. She chuckled. "You're so cute when you're embarrassed."

Squall's reply was a death glare. This was no ordinary death glare; this was the Squall Leonhart death glare, the kind that could kill legions with just a sweep of his eyes. Thankfully, Rinoa was more of a force than many legions of troops. She simply walked up and rubbed her hand gently along the part of his chest not covered by his fuzzy leather jacket.

Squall groaned and rolled his eyes but did not impede her hand in any way. "…Whatever."

Rinoa trailed her hand up to Squall's cheek holding it and turning his face so she could look into it. Their eyes met and held and it seemed in that instant that time was no longer held any dominance over the couple. The only concern that Rinoa had was the stormy grey mysterious eyes of the hero of the world, Squall Leonhart. Likewise, the only thing that Squall's mind processed was the warm caring chocolate brown eyes of the only Sorceress known to exist, Rinoa Heartilly.

Soft piano music filtered through the glass doors and the garden below added the backdrop setting. Rinoa did not like how cliché the environment was, but she wasn't going to argue with it. She smiled softly. "Squall…I…"

Rinoa was not sure exactly what she wanted to say. She never had a chance to think about it easier. The glass door opened and both of their attentions were drawn to the newcomers. Rinoa's stomach made a few summersaults.

It was "that man", President James Caraway, escorted by the young Baron Vladimir Rasputin. President Caraway was glaring at Squall and also, very likely, the SeeD's proximity to his daughter. Baron Rasputin, however, was a complete mystery. His hard glare gave nothing away about what he was thinking.

Rinoa gave the baron a quick look over. He was a young man only a year or two older than her, yet his goatee and his heavy glare gave the impression that he was more like thirty. He was about as tall as Irvine and had short cropped hair. There was an air about him which said he meant business, and his cold brown eyes, though the same color as Rinoa's invoked completely different emotions.

President Caraway was definitely an older graying man who tried his best to stand tall. Rinoa knew that it was taking more and more effort for him to just stand straight. He had a rare spinal disease which was making him loose control of the entire lower half of his body. Though he was only starting to show the first signs of the disease right now, doctors were concerned that in a few years he might have problems controlling his most needed bodily functions including this stomach, liver, kidneys, and bladder.

Squall bowed slightly. "Mister President, an honor as always."

Rinoa's father... _No! He is not my father, not after all he has done to me! _Only grunted in reply to Squall's formal military greeting. He barely gave him a glance before turning to Rinoa. "My daughter…"

Rinoa cut him off. "You don't have a daughter."

President Caraway paused a moment then started again. "Rinoa…" He added a touch of annoyed emphasis on her name, but with Baron Rasputin right there he was not going to reopen the five year war that had been fought between father and daughter. "I believe you know Vladimir Rasputin right?"

Rinoa only curtly nodded and he continued. "His family has made an interesting proposal to me tonight. He wants to ally with are family and pool our wealth and political power together. I have already appointed him my special advisor, but he wanted to take an extra step."

Baron Rasputin stepped forward and his voice even sounded like daggers as he spoke. "I want to take your hand in marriage and make you my bride, ensuring the Caraway dominance in the political affairs of Galbadia."

Rinoa's jaw was nearly dropping to the ground. _How DARE he! _Rinoa looked snidely at the baron. "You are asking me to marry you?"

Baron smiled and turned around pacing around with his left hand behind his back and his right hand animatedly assisting his speech. "I know this must be a rather large shock to you. I know you were never expecting or really hoping for such an advantageous marriage, but believe me, my offer is genuine."

Rinoa looked to the two men, who seemed to have already plotted the proposal, marriage and how many children she would have to bear together, then at Squall, who was standing dumfounded. _DO SOMETHING! _She nearly screamed at the poor soldier who had not a clue what to do.

Squall, to his credit, did not just stand there. His mind was working overtime trying to figure out strategies. Unfortunately for Rinoa, his mind was working along the thought process of thinking how much better the Baron could treat her as a wife than he could. Squall was laying out all the things she could have with him, wealth, power, jewelry, and other things too. Rinoa's mental shout snapped him out of his considerations and, unfortunately, back into his state of being totally indecisive.

Rinoa sighed and decided to go at this herself. "Baron Rasputin, I thank you for your very... generous offer, but..."

The Baron continued without ever seeming to hear her. "You could be the baroness and we could start a ruling line much like Visner Deling wanted. Imagine your children going on to rule all of Galbadia and eventually the world!"

Rinoa could not bare this anymore, and interrupted him loudly. "Is this some kind of joke! Father, what the hell are you thinking? You KNOW five years ago I got mad at you when you tried to marry me off to some other prick like him, WITHOUT EVEN ASKING ME!"

Rinoa was raging as the Baron stopped speaking and both politicians stopped cold and stared at her. They obviously did not expect her to react so negatively and violently. Her shouting continued unabated. "What did you THINK would happen when you brought him up here? Huh, _dad?_" she put an extremely sarcastic tone on the word dad to show exactly how angry she was. "You think that I'm just going to trounce around like some common whore for your political games? Is that what I am to you? A pawn?"

The president tried to mutter a line of defense for him but, unfortunately for him, hell hath no fury compared to a woman's scorn and much less a sorceress' scorn. "I'll have you know, there is a man who really truly loves me, and would not consider ever using me as a pawn or a toy, and..."

President Caraway's anger peaked at this and he started shouting in return. A small crowd was gathering behind the glass entrance to the patio watching the action. The president thrust a finger towards Squall almost in his face. "Him! The man who abandoned you to cheat on his secretary? So you don't want to be a pawn, you want to be a discarded toy instead?"

Rinoa's eyes flashed gold, taking both her father and Baron Rasputin by surprise. "Don't you dare say that about him!" Rinoa thrust her finger right at Squall in an eerily similar manner as her father just did. "I was wrong about him; he was not cheating on me! He was just getting cold feet about proposing to me!" Rinoa did not actually know if it was true, but she figured it was good enough.

President Caraway was fuming. "Him? A common soldier! Did I not bring you up better than that? He will go to war, and he will die, then you will be a widow with children five to ten years from now and no man will want to marry you and support you. What kind of life will you lead then? The baron is still offering you a good comfortable life without the toils of hardship. Are you so stubborn that you cannot see that?"

Rinoa threw her hands up exasperated. She had just the thing, and she was going to fight fire with fire. "Oh, a common soldier? Well as I recall, my mother married a common solder, GENERAL Caraway. Or should I say COLONEL Caraway? Or did you forget that Julia Heartily married a simple common soldier who was able to comfort her in her time of need, and was very happy, raising her daughter WITH her husband there to watch?"

The President was stopped cold. She had him right there. Father and daughter just stared at each other with anger bubbling through them. The baron looked totally lost, this not going anywhere near where he expected it to go. Rinoa turned to Squall and crossed her arms giving her a much softer glance. Squall for his part took the cue without any guidance mental or verbal. He quickly fumbled around his pocket and revealed the purple box which had seen so much battering in its time.

He slowly knelt down opening the box and Rinoa's heart skipped a beat. Yes, it wasn't the most romantic setting, and she was still passionately angry, but that did not stop her from enjoying the moment all the same. _He is doing it... he is actually doing it! He does love me!_

_Of course I do. I'm only sorry that I can't show it to you better. _

Rinoa couldn't help but get a tear in her eye at that. She smiled softly and took his hands in her. Squall's voice was a bit hoarse from the verbal harrying he just got but was clear and annunciated in his impeccably perfect tone. "Rinoa Heartily..." Squall glanced at President Caraway and smirked at him, just a bit, to spite him for mistreating his daughter. Technically she was Rinoa Caraway, but that is what made it all the better.

President Caraway could not decide whether to look stunned or angry. Squall returned his eyes right to the chocolate brown and loving gaze of the sorceress and continued. "Will you marry me?"

Rinoa immediately dropped on her knees with him and nodded her head whispering. "Yes, I will."

Squall took out the ring from the box and slipped it onto her finger. Finally, 3 years later, the ring was where it was supposed to be. Applause erupted inside as they kissed. Squall thought he could hear Zell shouting something along the lines of "way to go, man!" but he was not sure, nor did he care. He was in heaven with those lips sweetly kissing his.

* * *

Authors notes: Weeeeeeeeell... yea im a procrastinating bastard. No other excuse. Well, I did have some heavy duty personal life problems as well, but I definitely was procrastinating this. don't worry ill get on the ball. My finals are coming up fast and I want to finish the last chapter and epilogue before then or else you might not hear form me for another month :X. anyways yes 24 is started, and I like how its coming out quite decently. Remember: Lots of reviews keep random deaths from befalling main characters ;) 


	25. Chapter 24

Very slowly, the soul occupant of the room took down the thick, heavy book with a very ginger grasp. He was treating it like it was the original copy of Hyne's Journey. With a quick glance at the bathroom door, he told himself that she would be in the shower for several more minutes, and he could look at this book without her interruptions.

Sitting down on the armchair, he sighed and rubbed his eyes after a long hard day full of stress. _I finally made it back to her. I finally fixed what I screwed up on last time. _With that thought, he bravely opened the book's cover and looked at the first page. There, a pair of pictures that he actually had not seen until 5 days after they was taken. _She looked so beautiful in that dress, I could not believe my eyes._

She was dressed in a flowing white dress, embroidered with many white flowers and held to her form very well, necessary because of the lack of straps. On the bottom it billowed out into several layers, the first ending at her knees, the second at mid shin, the third half of the remaining way to her ankles, and the forth just barely above the floor. _In the back it reached out for nearly 4 feet dragging on the ground like a princess. _The man amended himself. _She is a princess._

The second one was nearly identical, the only difference being that she was wearing the white veil over her face. Running a hand softly over the picture's glossy cover and his other through his hair, he turned the page and looked at the only picture on this page. It was of him, and two of his best friends.

_Zell had just pinned his finger onto Squall's coat as Irvine pointed and laughed. Zell was screaming, and bleeding all over Squall's tuxedo, and the small corsage that was also pinned to his jacket. Squall screamed at Irvine to give him a hand as Quistis laughed and snapped a shot with her camera, immortalizing the moment. _

_"Quistis!" Yelled Squall "Stop messing around and get Zell's finger off of my coat before the jacket is ruined!"_

_Irvine was no help at all, rolling back onto the ground in a huge fit of laughter and clutching his stomach as he pointed. Zell was no help either, just standing and screaming at the site. A warrior who had faced death many times, been injured vastly and electrocuted by two sorceresses was screaming like a girl because of a finger prick. _

He could not help but chuckle and sigh at the memory with a small smile. He turned the page again and groaned at the sight, covering his eyes with embarrassment despite being the only one in the room. His face turned slightly pink at the sight. _Dear Hyne, I begged you to make that just a dream… that was just… embarrassing._

_Zell had just stood up to make his speech as best man. Only fifteen seconds into the speech, Squall already was considering bolting from the dinner right there, and abandoning the bride to face the music herself. One look at her though stopped him cold and left him transfixed. That did not change the fact that he was turning a very bright shade of red, nor did it change the fact that he was going to make sure that Zell did not live through the evening. Irvine could take over as best man._

_Zell went on with his speech . "And one time while I was talking with Xu, I heard a loud groan coming from Squall's office. We looked at each other and headed in, not knowing what we'd find… and you wouldn't…"_

_"ZELL!" Irvine nearly exploded up. It was strange to see him out of his cowboy hat on, much less in a suit and tie. His hair was in its standard pony tail, but even it seemed more refined than normal. He was shaking a fist at Zell as the shorter blonde stopped cold. "You SWORE not to tell ANYBODY about that, much less make it into a joke like this!" _

_Quistis was snapping pictures of the whole event._

He groaned and turned the page, and sure enough, there were 4 more pictures of the spectacle.

_Selphie pulled Irvine back down into the chair with a strength that seemed unnatural from her petite form. Rinoa was also restraining Squall from getting up, but Squall seemed not to even be noticing her now. Suddenly Squall found his feet bound tight in a freezing substance which completely stopped their movement. Looking down, he found his feet encased in a solid block of ice. His glare went at Rinoa, that glare which could send the entire Galbadian army packing. Rinoa just smiled sweetly and with a touch of innocence mixed in and met his gaze. _

_Zell, emboldened by the support from the women, continued, "I walked in and there was Squall, standing with his back to the door behind the desk. When I walked in, Irvine stood up from kneeling in front of him and Squall turned around zipping his pants. They saw me and…"_

_Squall tried again to charge Zell, but his feet were still frozen to the ground. Irvine on the other hand had no inhibitions and leapt straight across the table. Sephie tried to hold on, but because of the cowboy's Guardian Force enhanced strength, his arm tore right out of petite girl's hand and he sailed across the table, cutting Zell off in mid sentence and tackling him. Zell, to his martial arts credit immediately began defending himself, but everybody save Squall and Irvine were laughing like hyenas. Quistis was especially bad, snapping several pictures of the fight, starting from when Irvine leapt._

With a sigh, he looked at the next picture. It was a great shot of the cowboy flying through the air to tackle the best man of the wedding.

_Finally, Nida was able to pull Irvine off Zell. Needless to say, Zell's tuxedo was in pretty bad shape, and he had a welt on his forehead from getting his head smacked by a chair. Rinoa had to freeze Squall's legs up to his knees to keep him rooted in place, and Quistis got a snapshot of that as well. As Irvine finally resigned to the fact that the story was out, he sat back down, being slapped on a particularly nasty red mark on his jaw by Selphie. Squall's problems were only beginning. _

_With a playful smile and knowing full well Squall was already angry and embarrassed about the situation, Rinoa finally spoke up loud enough to get attention of everybody at the table. As their laughter died down her voice rang through clearly and the final bits of laughter silenced as she began speaking. "Squally dear..." a few more chuckle rounded the table as Squall's face went from a very bright red to cherry red. "...Is there something you aren't telling me?" She smiled sweetly but something in her gaze at him spoke of a cruel, evil demon inhabiting her body. Perhaps had Ultimecia possessed her again?_

_Quistis was following up on Rinoa's comment like it was all pre planned barely after the raven haired sorceress finished speaking. "Yea, Squall... we knew he was your best friend but we didn't know you two got THAT friendly..."_

The man groaned looking at the picture, covering his face again with his hand.

_Quistis held up the camera, snapping a shot of Squall's raging and embarrassed face. Laughter erupted around the table again, only interrupted by a single comment from Zell. "You know, Squall, you really need to consider if your marrying the right person." Squall's face flushed to deep crimson as laughter erupted anew around the table. Ellone was resting her face on the dining table, her face buried in her arm and presumably crying tears of laughter into her shawl. Laguna had long ago fell out of his chair and was rolling on the ground laughing. _

_Natalie was leaning back in her chair laughing so hard that the feet of her chair were coming off the ground. Irvine, in a fit of anger for all the times she had played him up, kicked her chair sending her sprawling onto her back, feet in the air and her skirt riding up her thighs. This only served to intensify the laughter around the table. Even Kiros had lost his normally cool composure and Ward was giving a silent chuckle, the scars on his neck quivering with amusement._

_Squall sighed dejectedly and looked down at his food. He did not lift his face for the rest of the dinner, nor did Zell continue his speech. Squall found out later that night that Zell had never planned to go on with his speech anyways, and that he knew this would be so embarrassing and cause such a commotion that Zell's speech would be cut short anyways. Squall punched Zell right in the eye sending him spiraling off the second floor railing down onto the first floor of Garden. Squall then returned to his bachelor party in the old second floor classroom. _

With an embarrassed sigh, the man turned the page again and found himself in another set of pictures. He silently thanked Hyne that Quistis was at the bachelorette party, so no more incriminating pictures of him were taken, of which there were many potentials. However, he did come upon several pictures which he did not recognize. He frowned then turned a page, then went back not recognizing it. The pictures were of all women. He recognized several SeeD's

_There's Liz Andros. _His eyes traveled along the picture and he had to admire the redhead's excellent figure. She was holding a bottle of alcohol and was looking a bit drunk already. Knowing her she was probably a lot more wasted then she looked. _A woman who's fiery red hair is only a shadow of her fiery temper. _Also there was Quistis, her regal stature impeccable as always. She had a martini in her hand and looked like she was in the background as always being her motherly self.

The next picture was of the bride and her maid of honor doing an impromptu kereoke performance he guessed. The man was surprised at these pictures. He thought that the cameras were off during the bachelorette party, but obviously he was wrong. Turning the page, a small slip of paper fell out. _I see you've FINALLY gotten into reading this. Quistis said you would if given enough time. Talk to me soon if you want to get the story on this part._

He smiled and brushed his hand over the plastic cover of the glossy photographs and looked through them. He most definitely would ask her... sometime. Turning the page he came to the actual day. With a small wry smile, he started looking through the copious number of pictures, picking out the ones representing his favorite memories no matter how disturbing it was at the time.

_Squall was pacing nervously as Zell tried to encourage him to not be so nervous. Zell's arm was in a cast and sling and he had a nasty bruise on his right eye after Squall punched him the night before, sending him crashing down to the first floor and, with Dr Kadowaki's help, into the infirmary for more than an hour. Squall's guardian enhanced strength had cracked Zell's skull also, but by the next morning, between a few Curaga spells, Guardian enhanced healing abilities and Dr Kadowaki's excellent care, he was already weeks into his recovery. _

_Irvine walked up and wrapped his arm around the shorter man's shoulder. "Squall... Squall... ya should be thinking that this is the happiest day of your life! You shouldn't be that nervous, you should be celebrating... like we were last night!" _

_Squall's eyes shot up and stared into the cowboy's eyes as he winked and chuckled. "Irvine... you were part of the joke too." _

_Irvine smiled widely and tipped his hat. "Who says I wasn't let in on it?"_

_Squall looked confused at Irvine then Zell, and they both had an eerily similar grin on their faces. "But... you were were angry at Zell. Why would you..."_

_The cowboy smirked and interrupted his commander. "Squall, I was mad that he told everybody about my real preferences."_

_Squall's eyes went wide. "Your real... but... what about Selphie?"_

_Irvine chuckled and tipped his hat. "Can't ruin my image as a womanizer can I? Na... me and Zell..."_

_Squall threw Irvine's arm off his neck and backed away from the two with shock written all over his face. Zell grinned at Squall and in that instant, the lion of Balamb, the Commander of Seed, and the great hero that defeated Ultimecia ran. Irvine stared at the fleeing man and chuckled softly. "You were right"_

_The short blonde grinned and shot back. "I told you it would work."_

_The cowboy shook his head. "I never thought he'd actually fall for it."_

_Zell rubbed the back of his head and pointed in the direction Squall had run off in. "You know, it really is nice to have you on my side for once, instead of picking on me all the time. Its great that we actually got to pull something on Squall. Im sure any other time he wouldn't have fallen so easily for our trap."_

_Irvine chuckled and tipped his hat as he replied. "Come on... the guy is getting married today, and yesterday you were making fun of him to the whole crowd about which way he swings. Of COURSE he is going to be a bit touchy, especially when his fiancee decides to add onto his torment. _

_The shorter man laughed out loud and nearly doubled over. "Yea, that was a great setup yesterday don't you think?_

_irvine glowered at him. "I didn't very much appreciate you endangering my womanizer reputation. Besides... don't think your off the hook" He smirked "Mr. Penguin Suit." in reference to the tuxedo that Zell was wearing, as opposed to Irvine's SeeD uniform. _

_Zell turned to his partner in crime to give a loud reaction, however a scream interrupted them. Zell looked in the direction that it came from, also, disturbingly the direction Squall ran in. "That... sounded like-"_

_Irvine finished with him. "-Selphie"_

_They started at each other for a moment. "Isn't your girlfriend with Rinoa in the pre wedding..."_

_Irvine nodded his head and swallowed. "Damn, we'd better get over there"_

_With that they were off running to try to get the groom away from the bride. As they were running Irvine muttered the last word of his sentence. "...partner"_

_Zell could not help but grin._

The man looking at the pictures in the binder chuckled softly. _Yes that most certainly is one of my favorite memories. _He marveled that somehow Quistis got nearly a dozen pictures of the incident, including every of the most memorable and priceless facial expressions. He wondered how she did that, considering he never saw her anywhere. _Oh well, somethings are better left a mystery._

He turned the page again and came to the actual ceremony. He chuckled looking at the groom. In that tuxedo...

_...Squall was sweating nervously and his knees looked about ready to fail. The bride's maids had all come down and now the flower girl were leaving pink and white pedals all through the aisle of the wedding area. The weather was perfect. However, in order to achieve this, Garden actually had to be moved off of Balamb island for the day, as an overcast threatened rain. _Besides, _Squall thought, _the Quad actually DOES look better in this setting when Garden is floating out at sea.

_Finally came the moment of truth, and Squall's breath caught as he caught sight of the bride. She was simply beautiful, in a sleeveless dress, her skin on her upper chest, shoulders and arms tactfully bare and her hands and arms up to her elbows had satin white gloves on them. Her face was covered by a veil and in his mind, there was only one word. _WOW!

_Rinoa smiled sweetly knowing about every last thing Squall had been going through thanks to their bond as Sorceress and Knight. Her arm was looped around Laguna's, and Squall prayed that, for once in his life, Laguna would not bumble this simple task. _

_Squall felt his knees shaking just a little bit and he felt Zell's hand on his shoulder trying to calm him down. Zell's arm was now out of the cast and he had a wrist brace on. He could not figure out why he was so nervous, this was just another day, he kept telling himself, but no matter how much he told himself that, he was jittery. _

_Finally, Laguna had successfully guided Rinoa to the new Quad Stage, and he returned to his seat. Squall let out a breath he did not realize he was holding and silently thanked Hyne for letting that go without classic Laguna blunders, of which he had been told many stories of by Kiros. He reached out and took Rinoa's gloved hand and offered her a rare small smile then turned to the priest of Hyne standing behind them. _

_"Dearly beloved... we are gathered her today to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony..."_

The man could not help but smile as the actual rites were replayed in his mind. _In a word... _He thought, _It was perfect. _He turned the pages and sighed contently as he remembered every little detail. His eyes came across two pictures which made him chuckle softly.

_"Do you have the rings?"_

_The priest turned to Zell who nodded enthusiastically "I sure do!" _

_The short blonde reached into his pocket and his smile froze. Squall watched in absolute horror as Zell began searching all his pockets, a worried expression growing on his face by the second. Quistis snapped a picture both Zell's growing horror and Squall's paling face. This continued for a at least 10 seconds and Squall's heart stopped. "Zell...?"_

_Off to the side, one of the groomsmen... _Irvine, damn-it!... _folded himself over trying to repress a laugh and not succeeding very well. Zell's face lit up in a grin and reached into the original pocket and withdrew the two rings. The audience started a few waves of chuckles through it and Zell winked at Squall as he handed them to the priest._

The man sighed and gazed through the rest of the pictures.

"_You may now kiss the bride"_

_Squall lifted the veil and smiled at her, leaning in and freely kissing her. The audience erupted in cheers, and Rinoa slipped her hands behind his neck to deepen the kiss. Squall, in a moment of uncharacteristic romanticism and playfulness, lifted her off her feet and spun her around before setting her back down and kissing her more passionately. _

Finally he found his way to the pictures of the reception.

_The first song, naturally, was Waltz to the Moon, and Squall knew the tradition was that he danced this first one with Rinoa alone. They spun about the room and Squall smirked, knowing that he had practiced his waltzing with Quistis for the event. Rinoa had not actually come back to Garden for several more months, at first because Squall was still protecting Natalie, but also because she had a contract with the hotel to sing until October. After packing and moving everything, it was nearly November before she actually moved into Garden._

_Now... it was December 31st. Squall had no idea why she insisted their wedding be New Years Eve, but he figured it had something to do with fireworks or celebrations every year for their anniversary. _

_Rinoa smiled at him. _Actually, its to make it easier on your poor male mind on remembering our anniversary.

_Squall frowned a bit as he took her on a promenade. _Male mind? Rinoa, i have a secretary to remind me in the WORST case scenario.

_Rinoa just smiled sweetly at him and chuckled out loud as the waltz came to an end. Squall spun her once more then before she had fully recovered, dipped her back right on the end of the song and kissed her lips. Applause went all around the Ballroom where the entire wedding party was watching the dance. They had already eaten dinner, and Zell's REAL best man speech had been touching. Even Squall could not help a smile and ALMOST shedding a single tear at the toast._

_As Squall picked her up again, several couples wandered onto the floor for another waltz. Zell walked up to his partner in crime. "That was a great thing with the ring there, partner"_

_Zell could not help but grin. "The look on his face was priceless. Thank Hyne Quistis snapped a picture."_

_Irvine looked out at the dancing couple and tilted his head towards them. "Ya wanna do the next one now?"_

_Zell shook his head. "Irv, I don't think we should do that one. We want to play a joke on Squall, not ruin his wedding night."_

_Irvine turned to him and cocked is head. "Come on, its only a joke, we didn't ACTUALLY put cameras in his new room."_

_Zell shook his head. "Even still, you know Squall, he's going to go paranoid and start tearing the room apart, ruining the mood. Lets leave it off. Besides..." He grinned. "We still got other things we can do"_

_Irvine watched Squall and Rinoa dancing and could not help but be moved. "Ya got a point there Zell. What else ya got in mind?"_

_Zell smirked. "You and I could go around the dance floor once and really scare the hell out of Squall"_

_Irvine actually spent a few seconds considering it before rejecting the thought. "I DO have my reputation to keep up, yannow, and I don't ACTUALLY like you in that way."_

_Zell chuckled. "Maybe... should we give it a rest for the night? I mean, this IS the last dance before they leave."_

_Irvine nodded slowly after considering a few more seconds. "I think your right there, Zell. Let there be peace for tonight."_

_The two partners in crime nodded and split company. A minute later Irvine was on the floor with Selphie and Zell was stuffing his face with leftover hot dogs from the dinner. _

_The dance ended with another round of applause but before it was over, Natalie was up on the stage in front of the microphone. The lights dimmed and a spotlight illuminated her on the stage. "Ladies and gentlemen, before the bride and groom leave, i believe i have to give them a present. Now Rinoa, i know i told you i didn't have time to go shopping, but thats not entirely true. In fact, the reason i didn't have time was because i was busy writing this for you." She smiled and nodded to the orchestra. _

_Rinoa's jaw dropped and she whispered to Squall. "I never got her to sing even on our last night at the bar!"_

_Natalie smiled out to the crowd, and her voice, not as crystal and beautiful as Rinoa's, but still very good in its own right, rang through the ballroom._

_Ring out the old, Ring in the new_

_A midnight wish to share with you_

_Your lips are warm, my head is light_

_Were we alive before tonight?_

_We don't need a crowded ballroom_

_Everything I want is here_

_If your with me, next year will be..._

_...The perfect year_

_As Natalie continued singing, some people started milling around and picking up glasses of champaign from the bar, but all attention was focused on the tall blonde woman singing for the first time publicly._

_Before we play some dangerous game_

_Before we fan some harmless flame_

_We have to ask if this is wise_

_and if the game is worth the prize?_

_With this wine and with this music_

_How can anything be clear?_

_Lets wait and see, it may just be..._

_...The perfect year_

_The orchestra crescendoed and started playing in a 3/4 time waltz again, and the entire crowd started waltzing merrily around and drinking sips of champaign. It only lasted a minute though, before Natalie began singing again._

_Its New Year's eve, and hopes are high_

_Dance one year in, kiss one good bye_

_Another chance, another start_

_So many dreams to tease the heart!_

_We don't need a crowded ball room_

_Everything we want is here_

_And face to face, we will embrace..._

_...The perfect year_

_Her voice soared higher and louder as the song came to its climax._

_We don't need a crowded ballroom_

_Everything we want is here_

_And face to face..._

_We will embrace..._

_Natalie smiled softly as the spotlight shifted from her to illuminate Squall and Rinoa hugging and deep in the throws of a tender and loving kiss_

_...The perfect year_

* * *

Authors notes: Song is _The Perfect Year_ from _Sunset Boulevard_ By Andrew Lloyd Webber 


	26. Epilogue

The soul occupant of the room came to the last picture in the binder and smiled softly, closing it. looking at the front, he brushed his fingers over the white book's gold lettering. "Our wedding" it read, and he could definitely agree now that it was the best day of his life.

Slowly standing up, he walked over to the bookshelf and slipped it back into the hole between the other books. _Well she will not notice that i was looking at it. That is good. _He finished putting the book back in its place and turned around freezing in his tracks. She was there, with a towel wrapped around her body just barely concealing the important parts of her body. Her arms were crossed and she had a smirk on her face that he could not decifer. "Finally looked through it i see."

He looked back into her chocolate brown eyes feeling like an ant under the microscope. "Rinoa, I thought you were showering?"

She laughed softly and crossed the distance to him. "Squall, you still can never remember that I'm in your mind quite literally can you?" She brushed her still dry hair back, her light brown highlights clearly visible in the light. behind her, steam billowed out softly from the open bathroom door where the shower was still running.

Squall swallowed slightly like he was a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "I..."

Rinoa did not let him finish. Resting a finger on his lips, she stopped his words cold in his mouth. "Its alright, don't worry. We'll talk about this some other time.

Squall nodded and she slowly dropped her finger from his mouth. He glanced over at the shower and then back at her. "Are you going to finish your shower now?"

Rinoa shook her head softly and smiled up at him innocently. "No, i think i had too much fun tonight to really go back right now." She wrapped her arms around his body and hugged him. She still had a hard time getting used to seeing him without his leather jacket on. His white shirt underneath was cotton and soft, and Rinoa rested her cheek on his chest as she hugged him. To her joy, Squall wrapped his arms around her and returned the hug. "Squall, thank you so much, this was a wonderful day."

Squall smiled and lifted her chin with a finger to gaze into her eyes. "It was my pleasure, Rinoa. I just hope you had a happy birthday this year."

Rinoa smiled back and brushed her cheek against his palm as he caressed it. Her eyes rolled closed slowly and involuntarily as she whispered back. "Squall, today is the best birthday of my life."

Squall hugged her again and kissed her forehead softly. Rinoa was amazed that Squall could actually be affectionate. It was almost to the point where he was being slightly clingy and kissy, but she did not mind it at all. "Im glad your day was good."

She looked up at him and smiled again. This time though, the smile was nowhere near her previous one. This one was seductive and playful, with a bit of 'I'm a bad girl' written on it. "Who says its over yet?" She asked cryptically.

Squall's eyes furrowed in confusion, and she leaned up to kiss him again. Her hands wandered to his waist and slowly lifted his cotton shirt over his head, tossing it aside, breaking the kiss with it. She stepped back for a moment with that same smile on her face then reached over to undo her towel and let it drop onto the ground. Squall obviously still was not quite used to the whole 'married' concept and his eyes widened for a moment.

Rinoa walked back over to him and kissed him again. She held the kiss for several seconds then broke whispering. "I love you" as she guided him back to the bed.

Squall gave her the most genuine and heartfelt smile she had ever seen him give yet. "I love you too"

_Their love is pure and sweet, simple yet joyful, and ever burning. Sorceress and Knight, woman and man, they start their new adventure together. Their hearts sing together now, and their duet is not heard, but only felt, as they sing the songs in their souls. _

* * *

Authors notes: Okay well... the story is officially over. Thank you very much to my readers, and esp to my beta readers for their tireless efforts. As i said, im gonna give the story a once over, edit grammar and spelling mistakes, make a few minor changes, and clean it up visually.

to Ric Leonhart: Baron Rasputin will be featured in future stories, some of them quite heavily. im not saying anything about how things are gonna happen, you will just have to find out ;)

thank you all, and remember to review heavily! if you go to my main profile page, you will find my blog and occasional updates. i knwo i said daily updates but i figured you didnt want to hear "i procrastinated today" almost every day, punctuated by a few days of "worked on the story" and "my hard disk crashed and i lost all ability to write for over a week" (which is why this took so long btw :X sorry!) anyways guys, thank you very much and ill be back soon with Through Bloody Tears.


End file.
